In a groundbreaking leap for rural healthcare, AIIMS Nagpur has halved neonatal deaths in Melghat’s tribal belt using a cutting-edge Tele-Special Newborn Care Unit (Tele-SNCU).
Set up at the Sub-District Hospital in Dharni, this tech-powered unit links local medics with AIIMS specialists via 360° cameras, smart diagnostic tools, and a real-time monitoring dashboard. The “hub-and-spoke” model enables neonatologists to offer instant remote consultations, drastically improving outcomes for underweight infants and sepsis-prone newborns.
“This is not just telemedicine—it’s real-time, lifesaving intervention,” said project lead Dr. Nishant Banait, noting that beyond saving lives, the initiative also upskills rural doctors and nurses.
Lauded by the Union Health Ministry as a top national innovation, the model has already expanded to Gadchiroli and Nandurbar, with more tribal regions on the radar.
Furthering its impact, AIIMS is setting up a diagnostic hub in Gadchiroli to screen pregnant women for sickle cell and thalassemia, and newborns for five major metabolic disorders. Executive Director Dr. Prashant Joshi stressed, “Early tech-enabled detection is our best weapon in saving lives.”
The Melghat initiative is fast becoming a national template for tribal healthcare transformation, proving that when technology meets compassion, miracles happen—even in India’s remotest corners.
👉 Click here to read the latest Gujarat news on TheLiveAhmedabad.com