The use of mobile and wireless technologies has the potential to transform the face of health service delivery across the globe. There are reportedly more than 7 billion mobile telephone subscriptions across the world, over 70% of which are in low- or middle- income countries. In many places, people are more likely to have access to a mobile telephone than to clean water. As a global society, we are also facing a looming threat of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), which kill 41 million people each year, around 71% of all deaths.

To address this challenge, the Be [email protected], Be Mobile (BHBM) initiative was set up by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Telecommunication union (ITU) in 2012. BHBM works with governments to scale up targeted client communication messaging services for NCDs and their risk factors. Millions of people have already been reached through the programmes and evaluation shows that they are impacting positively on users’ health.

The approach is designed to be scalable: instead of promoting specific products, it provides cross-cutting health content and technical support which can be used and incorporated into other services and applications. It also works to develop the broader ecosystem, helping ensure that the messaging service and content of each health programme is integrated and reinforces other health services. In doing so, each programme becomes a sustainable part of the health system whilst also helping to promote health and wellbeing around the world.

The initiative’s immediate objective is to continue expanding the number of countries it works with and the variety of diseases it addresses.

Be [email protected] Be Mobile helps countries build an mHealth infrastructure through its handbooks and tailored country support, providing guidance on implementation. An important part of the BHBM package are WHO guidelines-derived technology agnostic content for adaptation and use globally. Whether you are a WHO Member State, or a private sector company, Be [email protected], Be Mobile tools can help you get your citizens or clients mHealthy through a range of mHealth technologies. 

BHBM has a free content library of over 1000 evidence-based health behaviour change messages across 11 health topic areas available to be implemented in your work. Please fill this short form to request access 

Be [email protected] Be Mobile has had over 30 partners since the initiative started, helping us to get countries mHealthy. We work with a range of partners, from NGOs, to academia, to private sector health technology companies. 

Be [email protected] Be Mobile is actively looking for private, academic, government and NGO partners who share its vision of scaling mHealth services across the globe. Be [email protected] Be Mobile prioritises partners who are genuinely committed to public-private partnerships, who want to learn with us about what it takes to scale digital, who want to share their knowledge and actively support our country work to help us disseminate our digital health content. All requests to join Be [email protected] Be Mobile are governed by the initiative’s Steering Committee.

Partners have a number of different routes through which they can work with BHBM:

• Direct sponsorship - where the investment is pooled into a fund to support all BHBM operations and product development.
  
• Licensing of BHBM Content - select partners can support us by disseminating our WHO-validated digital health programme content directly to their customers or to their employees, significantly extending our reach and bring behaviour change programmes and services to more people.
  
• Providing in-kind support to BHBM - where partners have the ability to provide in-kind support in addition to financial support in several different forms, including technology solutions, staff time, marketing resources, messaging content (subject to vetting processes), knowledge or expertise. 

Contact us to become an official partner of Be [email protected], Be Mobile and be part of BIG innovation in health!

Global Network of Digital Health Hubs

 Be [email protected], Be Mobile (BHBM) is moving forward towards a Global Network of Digital Health Hubs, where WHO/ITU creates program content for these Hubs and advise on how to help countries/regions to leverage it:

• A Network between European mHealth Hub and other Hubs
•  A Network to share knowledge, resources, and program implementation plans

•   A Network supporting countries/regions/institutions searching for guidance from the Hubs' lessons learnt (sharing Hubs' infrastructure and content to facilitate program implementation, lessons learnt in terms of mhealth frameworks and policies)
• A Network for cross-disseminating/co-organizing activities and events on digital health solutions offering support and knowledge sharing for implementing mhealth programs 
• A Network in collaboration with existing UN centers in countries

Be [email protected] Be Mobile Annual Reports