Abia Deploys CYTrack To Track High-Risk Pregnancies, Curb Maternal Deaths

The Abia State Government has deployed a digital application, CYTrack, to identify and monitor high-risk and teenage pregnancies as part of efforts to reduce maternal and child mortality in the state.

The initiative was disclosed on Monday, August 10, 2026, by the Commissioner for Information, Okey Kanu, during a briefing on the outcome of the State Executive Council meeting.

Kanu said the Ministry of Health had piloted the digital tool to enable health workers identify vulnerable pregnancies early and monitor them through delivery.

According to him, CYTrack has already been used to track teenage pregnancies and follow the women through the different stages of pregnancy until delivery.

The application is designed to provide health workers with relevant information about pregnant women, including their age and last menstrual period, allowing them to determine expected delivery dates and schedule antenatal care.

The Commissioner for Health, Enoch Uche, explained that the system was developed from a pilot project using Google technology and was designed to strengthen the monitoring of pregnant women considered vulnerable to complications.

Uche said the application also helps health workers keep track of antenatal appointments by sending reminders to pregnant women ahead of their scheduled visits.

“When we don’t see them, then this app, because two days to antenatal care, it tells you that you should come for antenatal,” he said.

The Commissioner said the technology was particularly useful in monitoring teenage pregnancies, women who fail to attend antenatal care and those who rely on traditional birth attendants.

He explained that the system enables health workers to know when a pregnant woman is approaching her expected delivery date and make arrangements for appropriate care.

Uche added that the pilot had recorded cases where health workers intervened when labour failed to progress, with Caesarean sections arranged where medically necessary.

The development comes as the state government intensifies efforts to strengthen primary healthcare and improve access to maternal services across Abia.

As of Friday, August 7, 2026, the government said 151 Primary Healthcare Centres had been functionalised, following the addition of three centres between Monday, July 27 and Friday, August 7.

The government also announced plans to functionalise another 25 equipped Primary Healthcare Centres within three weeks.

According to Kanu, the first 50 functionalised centres accounted for more than 20 per cent of the 1.067 million outpatient visits recorded across the state between July 2025 and June 2026.

The state also reported that enrolment in the Abia State Health Insurance Scheme increased from 233,000 to 237,000 between July and August .

The government said registered pregnant women under the relevant health insurance arrangement are entitled to maternal healthcare and delivery services, including Caesarean sections.

The state has also disclosed that 742 medical personnel have been recruited as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen its health workforce, with further recruitment expected to cover medical officers, dental officers, consultants and other practitioners.

The deployment of CYTrack therefore adds a digital monitoring component to the government’s broader maternal-health strategy, linking early identification of vulnerable pregnancies with antenatal reminders, closer monitoring and timely clinical intervention.

The government, however, has not publicly disclosed the total number of pregnant women enrolled on CYTrack, the number of health facilities currently using the application, the total number of teenage pregnancies monitored or the precise number of maternal deaths prevented through the pilot.

The application is also currently being described by the government as a piloted digital tool, rather than a fully established statewide public application available for independent download by all pregnant women.

The Abia State Government said the initiative is ultimately aimed at ensuring that women at greater risk are identified early enough for health workers to intervene before pregnancy-related complications become life-threatening.