V-MiL Application Created by UM Surabaya Lecturers Solution to Accelerate Screening and Vaccination of Pregnant Women

Coronavirus Disease (Covid-19) has become something that we often face for more than 2 years since WHO announced on January 30 2020 the outbreak of the global Covid-19 pandemic. An increase in Covid-19 cases has also occurred in vulnerable groups, namely pregnant women.

Based on data from the Indonesian Obstetrics and Gynecology Association (POGI), there were 536 pregnant women exposed to Covid-19 and as many as 3% died. The increasing number of Covid-19 cases, especially the new delta variant which causes a risk of severe symptoms in pregnant women, the Indonesian government has established a screening program and implemented the Covid-19 vaccination as stated in circular letter HK.02.01/I/2007/2021.

Umi Ma'rifah, a lecturer in S1 Midwifery at FIK UM Surabaya, explained that vaccination for pregnant women is currently still prioritized in areas with high transmission rates, such as big cities.

Based on a preliminary study conducted on pregnant women in the Surabaya city area, there are 90% percent of pregnant women who are still hesitant and afraid to vaccinate. Efforts to help accelerate screening and vaccination programs require support from various parties, both from the government, the community, families and health workers, including universities.

"As a form of effort to help accelerate the screening and vaccination program for pregnant women, my team and I launched the V-MiL Application (Vaccination for Pregnant Women). This application can be downloaded at http://v-mil.com/application.,” explained Umi Monday (29/8/22)

Umi explained that V-MiL was an application developed as a medium to provide education about pregnancy and Covid-19 vaccination screening. The V-MiL application is equipped with main features regarding pregnancy, screening and the Covid-19 vaccine. Through the V-MiL application, it is hoped that pregnant women will have knowledge about pregnancy, the results of examinations about pregnancy and the importance of the Covid-19 vaccination with the aim that pregnant women will not hesitate to get the Covid-19 vaccine.

According to his explanation, the first feature is pregnancy, this feature provides information on the history of the mother's health examination before and during pregnancy. Information on the history of pregnancy examination results during pregnancy control can be seen by pregnant women quickly and easily. In this feature, mothers can also access information from the pregnancy article menu feature.

On the pregnancy article menu contains information needed by pregnant women, including; pregnancy checks, daily care for pregnant women, nutrition for pregnant women, Physical activity and physical exercise for pregnant women, discomfort in pregnant women, danger signs and other problems in pregnancy, Preparation for childbirth, early signs of labor, the importance of Fe tablets in pregnant women, development and growth.

Apart from information about pregnancy, pregnant women can also access articles about Covid-19 vaccination in pregnant women. The articles published on this menu have been adapted to the health information in the MCH handbook," he added.

While the second feature in this application is the Covid-19 vaccine screening feature which provides information on the final conclusion of the screening results from a health examination, whether pregnant women who have not received the Covid-19 vaccine can be given the vaccine or not.

 The third feature is the Covid-19 Vaccine feature which provides information on the history of giving Covid-19 vaccinations and proof of certificates that have been obtained by the mother during pregnancy. In this feature, mothers can also access article information about Covid-19 vaccination in pregnant women.

With the V-MiL application, pregnant women no longer need to worry. With a history of pregnancy test results, pregnant women who have not received the vaccine can immediately get the Covid-19 vaccine," concluded Umi.