What are the timelines of a typical project?

Initial engagement between country’s government and WHO-ITU programme’s Secretariat.

Agree on intervention area and project scope; in-country needs assessment and formative research if required.

Agreement on implementation plan, promotional plan, evaluation plan, with the help of an Informal Experts Group and in-country workshop.

Technical development and testing of the programme. This will vary from country to country.

For a programme where a project model already exists, or where one can be rapidly formulated, this will last around 2 months. For a new or more complicated intervention, this will last for a maximum of 6 months. A recruitment / promotion channel and campaign will be devised during the same period.

Official in-country launch of the programme, and the signing of an official document (Letter of Understanding or similar) between WHO-ITU programme senior representative and national Ministries.

National promotion of the mHealth programme. Recruit citizens for the particular mHealth programme using push and pull tactics (through doctors surgeries, health centres, leisure centres, universities, shops, workplaces, community groups, internet etc.) and prepare for the first round of implementation.

First stage of implementation

First round of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) and impact assessment of initial results.

Official in-country launch of the second intervention, etc.

A new project or intervention area can be introduced during each of the years when the WHO-ITU programme is operating within a country. Costa Rica, for example, has begun with mCessation, and is considering broadening to mobile cancer screening and prevention in 2014. However, since the programme will initially only run for four years, the number of new interventions a country is able to add on is limited by the year in which it joins the project. By joining in Year 1, countries would have the option of expanding their mobile health services to include four different disease and risk areas. Countries which join in Year 2 will only be offered three programmes, countries in Year 3, two programmes and so on.

Over the first four years the programme will aim to introduce mHealth components for NCDs into the national health systems of eight target countries. The objective is that mHealth is “owned and led” by the government even after the external project support from WHO/ITU is complete. Countries will be selected representing different regions, income levels and demonstrating high disease burdens and political commitment.