Rajasthan: Digital Leap in Pediatrics!

17 Aug 2023

Rajasthan: Digital Leap in Pediatrics!

Recommended for Preparatory Grades

Breathe in deeply. We’re about to embark on an adventurous journey into the sandy deserts of Rajasthan. But no, this isn’t about camels or palaces. It’s a tale of bits, bytes, and babies.

Back in the day, when 2012 had just passed and 2014 was saying goodbye, Rajasthan had a troubling statistic: 255 in every 100,000 newborns lost their mothers. But as the winds of time blew, by the time 2018 waved hello and 2020 waved back, a miracle happened. That number dropped to 113. And here’s the fun part – this drop was the quickest in all of India!

Deserts, Digital, Deliverance

So, what was this magic trick, you ask? Well, Rajasthan decided it was time for a makeover, a digital one. They wanted to be the FIRST state in India to digitize everything about Reproductive and Child Health (RCH). Imagine a computer knowing everything about how babies are born and how they grow. Cool, right?
They didn’t do it alone. The National Health Mission-Rajasthan shook hands (well, virtually) with this fancy group called Johns Hopkins Programme for International Education in Gynaecology and Obstetrics. Let’s just call them Jhpiego. They agreed to help make everything digital.
This digital journey was all about mothers and their cute little babies. The plan was to use computers, tablets, and mobile phones to track how mothers and their babies were doing. This would make sure that if there was any problem, it could be spotted in a jiffy!
People in charge of hospitals with lots of mothers having babies would get special attention. And guess what? There’s this super system called PCTS which would be like the computer brain of the entire operation!
But the real heroes of this story? The auxiliary nurse midwives or ANMs for short. Picture this: ANMs in certain places like Bundi, Karauli, and Udaipur will be like secret agents. They’ll get a special kit with fancy gadgets (think digital devices!). With a tap on their mobile phones, they can tell the PCTS computer brain everything they see.
And for all the expecting mothers out there, every Thursday is your day! Why? It’s called the ‘Safe Motherhood Day’. On this day, you can get yourself checked out without going on a long journey to a faraway hospital.
That drop from 255 to 113? A lot of it was because of new and cool things happening in RCH. Rajasthan wasn’t just making history; it was creating a healthier future.
And so, in a land known for its grand palaces and spicy curries, Rajasthan has set a new benchmark. A tale where technology hugs tradition and promises a better tomorrow for every mother and child. And remember, behind every byte, there’s a story of hope and health.