Part of the BMJ Global Health supplement on digital health in South Africa, this paper discusses how MomConnect uses mobile technology to register pregnant women, send them vital health information to support pregnancy and the first year of life and provide channels for patient queries and feedback.

It concludes that the initially simple concept of a behaviour change communication programme has become much more: MomConnect generates demand for health services while also collecting data to strengthen supply and presents an opportunity to link mothers and children to further health and social services.

Peter J. Achieving scale, sustainability and impact: a donor perspective on a mobile health messaging service and help desk (MomConnect) for South African mothers. BMJ Global Health. 2018;3:e000562. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2017-000562