NEW DELHI: Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras have developed virtual reality (VR) tools to improve neonatal and maternal health and tackle mortality. The researchers are working with the Tamil Nadu Health Department, National Health Mission Tamil Nadu, to train health workers to take the technology forward.
According to the researchers, VR, gaming technology, cloud and artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML) will be used to train PHC health workers. This will later be extended to other states of India where the Neonatal Mortality Rate (NMR) is very high.
On 19 April, Dr. Darez Ahmed, Mission Director, National Health Mission, Tamil Nadu, released the ‘SmartNRP Project’, which aims to strengthen rural health workers to reduce NMR. Neonatal resuscitation protocols are the global standard in first aid technique for newborns who are not breathing or crying.
The Experimental Technology Innovation Center (XTIC) of the IIT Madras research team that leverages emerging technologies such as virtual reality, 5G, robotics, AI/ML, recognized that skill training of healthcare workers was a major challenge that India was facing. especially in primary health centres. in rural settings.
“Most of the technologies currently used for skill training in healthcare were imported and did not address the unique challenges of India’s skill training, limited resources and dense population in rural areas,” the researchers said.
His start-up ‘Merkel Haptics’ launched a unique ‘In-Vitro Fertilization Training Simulator’, which was first released in the global market.
XTIC chief Prof. M. Manivannan said that these projects will benefit health workers. “XTIC is in line with the vision and mission of the institute to develop more such tools in future for the betterment of society, especially rural India, by using advanced technologies.”
Dr. Ahmed stressed that neonatal health and maternal health are critical to increasing equity and reducing poverty in any country, thereby addressing a wide range of economic, social and developmental challenges.
“If you look at infant mortality rate, the biggest contributor is NMR which is death within 28 days of birth, about 40 babies are lost per 1,000 births. We want to bring it down to single digits and all these initiatives are in that direction. We assure you that these equipment will now be made available to health workers at delivery points and we will also have specialized training points.”
“IIT Madras should develop tools to train health workers in various areas such as treating accident victims, among many others. There are many other areas in which VR can be used. Tamil Nadu will use these tools to improve the health of the newborn,” Dr. Ahmed said.