Mobile phones, promoters of behavioural health in the global South

Against the backdrop of health spending cuts as well as increased patient involvement, public health policies are placing growing importance on individuals’ personal responsibility for their own health. Healthcare via mobile phones (mHealth) is part of this trend and positions individual behavioural change as a key public health objective. This article shows that with the global spread of mobile phones, these behavioural approaches are also flourishing in Africa. Based on the study of an mHealth pilot program in Ghana, it explores the responsible patient figure that this programme seeks to construct, analysing the messages sent and the multiple reactions they prompt.