Background: Mobile health clinic services are free primary healthcare services for sections of the population living in disadvantaged communities. They provide patient care, nursing assessments and interventions, and medical interventions; they are more like community healthcare clinics to vulnerable populations. Hence, there is a need to understand the changes experienced by women to bridge the know–do gap and by extension improve health worker performance and the quality of maternal women’s health. Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the perceived benefits and challenges of mobile health services from the perspective of women in rural areas of Limpopo Province, South Africa. Methods: Qualitative explorative and phenological design was adopted to explore the perceived benefits and challenges of mobile health services from the perspectives of women in rural areas. Purposive sampling was used to select women aged 18 and above who reside in rural areas and have experience with mobile health services. Data was collected from 17 women through one-on-one interviews using an audio recorder to record the interviews with their permission, and was then analysed thematically. Results: The study revealed that although mobile health services (MHSs) offer promising benefits, they encounter several obstacles, especially in rural environments. Key issues such as inadequate healthcare provision, cultural norms, and worries about privacy and confidentiality have been reported, and the issues of nurses’ attitudes at mobile health service clinics, challenges of social barriers such as discrimination and disability, and socio-economic factors such as having not enough money to pay for transportation to get to the health institutions were outlined. Conclusions: While MHSs have the potential to improve healthcare access and outcomes for women in rural areas, the identified challenges must be systematically addressed. Tailored interventions that consider local cultural dynamics, strengthen data protection measures, and expand service availability are essential. It is recommended that stakeholders—including policymakers, health professionals, and technology developers—collaborate to co-design inclusive and gender-sensitive mHealth solutions. Training programs for healthcare workers and community engagement are recommended.
Author Contributions
Conceptualization, C.M.M.; Methodology, C.M.M.; Software, C.M.M.; Validation, C.M.M., L.M. and P.M.; Formal analysis, C.M.M.; Investigation, C.M.M.; Resources, C.M.M.; Data Curation, C.M.M.; Writing original draft preparation, C.M.M.; Writing-review and editing, C.M.M.; Visualization, C.M.M.; Supervision, L.M. and P.M.; Project administration, C.M.M. and L.M.; Funding acquisition, C.M.M. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding
This research received no external funding.
Institutional Review Board Statement
This study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and approved by the Turfloop Research Committee of the University Of Limpopo, Project number: TREC/73/2025;PG, 16 February 2025.
Informed Consent Statement
Informed consent was obtained from all participants involved in the study.
Data Availability Statement
The data presented in this study are available upon request from the corresponding author.
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest.
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