The Siyakubona Project—meaning “We see you”—focuses on implementing routine antenatal point-of-care ultrasound examinations at district-level health facilities in South Africa. This initiative aims to improve maternal and fetal outcomes by ensuring that pregnant women have access to timely, high-quality ultrasound assessments during routine antenatal visits. By integrating point-of-care ultrasound into primary healthcare settings, the project seeks to strengthen early detection of pregnancy-related complications, enhance clinical decision-making, and promote equitable access to essential maternal health services across underserved communities.

Each year, millions of stillbirths occur globally, with 98% of them occurring in low- and middle-income countries. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends at least one ultrasound before 24 weeks of pregnancy for fetal well-being, this would contribute to the timely detection of fetal growth restriction (FGR)—a leading cause of stillbirth. However, access to ultrasound at the primary care level remains limited due to equipment and skill shortages. To bridge this gap, Siyakubona aims to improve maternal and perinatal outcomes by improving access to antenatal handheld point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) at the primary healthcare level in the South African setting.