From Clicks to Care: Digital Tools to Transform Maternal and Child Health
- World Health Day
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Palak Chakraborty
Every year on 7th April, the world comes together to observe World Health Day—a tradition started by the World Health Organisation in 1950 to acknowledge collective progress in global health. Beyond recognition, the day serves as a powerful reminder of the pressing gaps and persistent challenges in healthcare, urging renewed commitment and action. This year’s theme, Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures, urges governments and relevant stakeholders to commit to eliminating preventable maternal and newborn deaths while ensuring women’s long-term health and well-being.
The world has long recognised that healthier mothers and children are the foundation of stronger societies—and global efforts to improve maternal and child health (MCH) have brought remarkable progress. Since 2000, maternal mortality has dropped by 40%, and neonatal deaths have halved since 1990 1. Yet, the momentum is faltering. Between 2016 and 2022, gains in maternal health have stalled across many regions, with troubling increases in maternal mortality reported even in some regions2.
Figure 1: Maternal Mortality Ratio.(maternal deaths per 100,000 live births) Src(World Health Organization,UNICEF, United Nations Population Fund and The World, Trends in Maternal Mortality:2000 to 2020 WHO, Geneva, 2023,)
Nearly 3,00,000 women lose their lives each year due to pregnancy and childbirth. Over 2 million babies die in their first month and another 2 million are stillborn. According to the WHO, in 2020, each day, nearly 800 women died from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. What is more concerning is the fact that 95% of all maternal deaths occur in low and lower middle-income countries, and most of these could have been prevented.
As someone witnessing the evolution of healthcare in India, it’s clear that digital technologies can transform the way care is delivered—especially for mothers and children. What was unimaginable a few years ago, is slowly but steadily becoming a reality as women from rural and remote villages connect with doctors through just a few clicks on their mobile phones.
India’s commitment in action
The Government of India has undertaken multiple efforts to advance MCH outcomes, particularly through policies such as Reproductive, Maternal, New-born, Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCH+A). As a result, MMR has fallen from 130 in 2014-16 to 97 in 2018-20. However, considerable progress is still needed to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goal of bringing the MMR below 70 by 2030.
Table 1: India vs Global Progress (1990-2020)(Source: PIB, 2025 4)
Efforts under the National Health Mission have resulted in 88.6% of all births taking place in health institutions (NFHS-5, 2019–21). Other programmes including the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram (JSSK), and Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) also aim to strengthen maternal care services. More recently, the Ayushman Bharat Scheme aims at bringing comprehensive primary healthcare closer to the homes of mothers and children.
Digital health technologies have emerged as a cornerstone of India’s efforts to strengthen its healthcare system. Many healthcare providers are now using digital health services to deliver care to their patients. A key step in this direction is the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), launched in September 2021, aimed at enhancing accessibility, efficiency, and transparency through a robust digital health infrastructure. As part of this initiative, more than 76 crore Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts (ABHA) have been created, and more than 52 crore health records have been linked digitally.
The recently launched U-WIN (Universal Immunisation Win) application stands as a testament to how India is using technology to make MCH services more efficient. U-WIN will keep track of vaccination status of children and pregnant women, facilitate vaccination slot booking, send reminders, and issue vaccination certificates.
Recognising the transformative potential of digital solutions in healthcare, we at Sankala Foundation visited Kolar, Karnataka to study an innovative initiative—the Digital Nerve Centre (DiNC). This pioneering model, piloted in Karnataka’s Kolar district since 2017, is a collaborative effort between Tata Medical and Diagnostics and the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Karnataka.
DiNC: A Lifeline for Mothers and Newborns
The Digital Nerve Centre (DiNC) began its journey by focusing on one of the most vital areas of public health—Maternal and Child Health (MCH). During our visit to Kolar, we were introduced to HealthX, a digital application that registers every pregnant woman in Kolar and assists them through the course of their pregnancy. From tracking antenatal care (ANC) visits, diagnostics, ultrasounds, and vitals to scheduling appointments and sending timely reminders, HealthX helps reduce waiting times and ensures mothers don’t miss critical check-ups.
To provide coordination support during hospital visits, a Patient Care Coordinator (PCC) is stationed at every Primary Health Centre (PHC), Community Health Centre (CHC), Taluk Hospital (TH) and District Hospital (DH). These coordinators act as guides and facilitators—booking fast-track appointments when necessary and arranging virtual consultations via DiNC’s video calling feature if a doctor isn’t available on-site. Finally, DiNC nurses situated at the nerve centre stay in touch with the pregnant mothers throughout their pregnancy journey and advise them on dietary and nutritional practices, family planning, etc.
As part of our study, we analysed key indicators to understand how healthcare utilisation has evolved under DiNC’s implementation. The study found there to be an increase in the unique number of mothers registered over the years. In-person care/OPD visits have also increased since 2019–20(See Figure 2).
Figure 2: Registrations (Unique) Compared to In-Person care – Maternal Health
Figure 3: Virtual Care (Inbound +Outbound) – Maternal Health
Figure 4: Lamaze Sessions Conducted – Maternal Health
While in-person care for childcare remained rather stagnant over the years, virtual care peaked during the pandemic years, i.e., 2020-21 (See Figure 5 and 6). More remarkably, the DiNC played an extremely crucial role in boosting immunisation rates amongst children by sending reminders and followups. As a result of these efforts, immunisation increased exponentially, with more than 56,000 children being immunised in 2022-23 (See Figure 7).
Figure 5: In-Person Consultations – Child Care
Figure 6: Virtual Care – Child Care
The case of the Digital Nerve Centre (DiNC) offers a compelling example of how digital innovations, when thoughtfully integrated into public health systems, can transform healthcare delivery in rural India. The steady rise in service utilisation highlights the potential of such models to bridge longstanding gaps in primary care, particularly for underserved populations.
Figure 7: Immunisations (Unique) – Childcare
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