Amid the Coronavirus pandemic, availability of ICU beds has been a persistent pain point globally. The lack of ICU beds was a major concern even before the pandemic – experts believe that India requires almost 3 times the current number to avoid preventable deaths. Anjani Mashelkar Inclusive Innovation Award (AMIIA) winner for 2020 – Dozee has the potential to partly address this bleak situation.
Dozee (by Turtle Shell Technologies) is a continuous, contact-free vitals monitor with remote monitoring capabilities and alert systems that converts any bed into a step-down ICU in less than 2 minutes. Kept under the mattress, Dozee monitors patients’ heart rate, respiration rate, heart rate variability, oxygen saturation levels, blood pressure and activity levels through technology based on Ballistocardiography (BCG).
The device has medical-grade accuracy of 98.4%, but costs 1/10th of conventional alternatives. In these difficult times, Dozee can help reduce the workload of healthcare staff by almost 50%. Dozee has already enabled 3,000 beds with monitoring, helping 5000+ patients in 7 states.
Anjani Mashelkar Inclusive Innovation Award 2020 was also presented to Savemom, an IoT-based maternal healthcare solution that monitors a mother’s health using smart wearables. Although maternal deaths have declined in recent years, WHO reports that India still accounts for about one-fifth of global maternal deaths annually.
Savemom (by JioVio Healthcare) collects physiological signals – blood pressure, heart rate, ECG etc. – continuously from the mother and processes them with advanced techniques to monitor her health. The vitals are uploaded in the cloud for doctors to view remotely. Caregivers and doctors are alerted if any mother’s risk assessment is negative, so that preventive measures may be taken at the right time.
By collaborating with local government agencies and NGOs, Savemom provides 1,000 days care to mother and child for Rs. 1,000, covering antenatal check-ups of the mother and post- natal care of the baby. Savemom has been deployed in over 100 Indian villages, benefiting thousands of rural mothers who otherwise have limited or no access to healthcare.
The Anjani Mashelkar Inclusive Innovation Award was instituted in 2011 with the aim of recognizing innovators who develop solutions for excluded members of society. For the last 10 years, the award has focused on making high technology work for the poor. In its milestone 10th year, an additional category was introduced for innovations battling Covid-19.
