VSee, working with Stanford and Ateneo de Zamboanga Universities, has recently launched Project MAMA (Mom’s AI for Maternity Aid) — a pilot program that aims to reduce maternal mortality rates in underserved, remote regions of the Philippines. Using VSee’s secure, customizable digital health building blocks and AI technologies, the program provides access to maternal care physicians to detect problems early on and reduce risks of complications and death.
The World Health Organization (WHO) asserts that maternal mortality rates are unacceptably high, with approximately 287,000 women dying from pregnancy and childbirth-related complications in 2020—most from preventable causes like postpartum hemorrhage, infections, and hypertensive disorders (WHO, 2023). Tragically, 92% of these deaths occur in low-resource areas, especially in remote and isolated areas where women often lack access to skilled obstetric care. VSee aims to change that with Project Mama, bridging the gap for women in underserved communities through AI telehealth and remote obstetric support.
In many parts of Zamboanga, Philippines pregnant women complete their pregnancies without ever seeing a specialist. Clinics rely on paper records, lack diagnostic tools, and have no consistent access to medical experts. Health workers do their best, but without early detection tools, routine risks can escalate into life-threatening complications—for both mother and child.
Project MAMA is a four-month research initiative testing how digital tools can close that gap. Piloted in the municipality of Ipil, in Zamboanga Sibugay, it brings together VSee, Stanford University, and Ateneo de Zamboanga to deliver earlier, smarter prenatal care to remote mountain regions of the Philippines. The project equips barangay clinics with digital tools for remote consultations, pregnancy tracking, and maternal health education—reaching mothers who would otherwise go without routine checkups.
Currently, it is running in Barangay Timalang, Barangay Tiayon, and Barangay Maasin—areas classified as Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas (GIDAs). Most study participants do not own a mobile phone because these mountain areas do not receive any cell reception. The project relies on Barangay Health Workers (BHW) assigned to different areas to physically make announcements and remind participants of their prenatal appointments.
With Project MAMA, barangay clinics now use VSee’s Electronic Medical Record (EMR) system to maintain a digital registry of pregnant patients, replacing paper records and making it easy to access and share patient health records regardless of location. The remote physicians from Ateneo de Zamboanga review patient records at each virtual visit, monitoring for potential risks and guiding early interventions.
Local midwives use VSee's AI-powered chatbot trained by Stanford OB-GYN doctors to ask clinical questions (or to help mothers ask their questions) and to receive real-time responses. This can be done in either English or their local Bisaya language. Stanford specialists regularly review AI answers for accuracy.
Ob-gyns and maternal care specialists conduct virtual consultations with trained barangay midwives using VSee telemedicine kits. The kit is equipped with ultrasound, ECG, digital stethoscope, pulse oximeter and other diagnostic scopes. For many mothers this is the first time they have ever had an ultrasound! The browser-based VSee Clinic Waiting Room also allows uploading educational posters and videos, so patients can learn about prenatal care, safe delivery, and newborn health while waiting for their remote physicians—helping to improve health literacy in the community.
VSee (with Starlink for broadband) powers the entire system. Most healthcare platforms require months of setup, developer input, or paid services for basic updates. VSee's flexible digital health building blocks allowed the project to launch quickly in just two to four days. Using the pre-configured remote medic workflow (also used in other VSee telehealth missions) as the base, VSee was then able to custom-configure the intake process for specialized prenatal OB-GYN visits in two days.
All remote specialists and local midwives were also trained and ready within two days. They completed VSee walkthrough training with test calls in about an hour. Local midwives underwent more intensive 1-on-1 training with the OB sonologist to learn to properly use the ultrasound and other scopes. The VSee team also provides technical support in case of any software and connection issues — so providers can focus on just the patients.
Three weeks into the pilot, the project is running steadily. Most participating mothers have completed their second of four prenatal checkups. AI risk screening, virtual consults, and education tools are active and in use. While clinical outcomes are still being tracked, usage has been consistent. The next phase will measure effectiveness and focus on long-term care continuity and look for more ways to leverage the AI component.
Stay tuned for more Project Mama updates!
