NemoCare Raksha is a wearable neonatal monitoring system designed to provide continuous, ICU-grade monitoring of newborns in resource-constrained healthcare settings. Developed by engineers Manoj Sanker and Pratyusha Pareddy under their medtech startup NemoCare Wellness, the technology was conceived to address critical gaps in neonatal care—particularly the lack of affordable, scalable monitoring solutions in government hospitals and small healthcare facilities. The founders were motivated by both personal experiences with premature births and extensive clinical exposure during their fellowship at the Centre for Healthcare Entrepreneurship, IIT Hyderabad, where they observed systemic shortages in neonatal monitoring infrastructure.

Why Continuous Monitoring Matters in Newborn Care

India bears a disproportionate burden of neonatal risk. According to national and global estimates, nearly 3.2 million preterm births were recorded in India in 2020, with neonatal mortality remaining a significant challenge. Early identification of distress through vital sign monitoring is central to improving newborn survival, yet such monitoring is often unavailable outside tertiary hospitals. NemoCare Raksha was designed to bridge this gap by enabling early detection, timely intervention, and efficient use of limited nursing staff.

Raksha is a sock-like wearable device fitted onto a newborn’s foot. It continuously measures critical physiological parameters, including heart rate, respiratory rate, blood oxygen saturation, and body temperature. Advanced indicators such as heart rate variability and perfusion index are also captured, allowing clinicians to assess both immediate stability and emerging risk. The device wirelessly transmits data to a central monitoring platform accessible via bedside tablets and dashboards, enabling a single nurse to monitor 40–50 babies simultaneously. Automated alerts are generated when abnormal trends are detected, supporting rapid clinical response.

A key innovation of the system is its ability to deliver continuous monitoring even when the newborn is not in an incubator. This enables safer implementation of Kangaroo Mother Care, where skin-to-skin contact improves outcomes for preterm infants but is often limited by the absence of monitoring. By combining mobility with clinical-grade accuracy, Raksha extends high-quality neonatal care beyond traditional intensive care units.

From Lived Experience to System-Level Insight

Development of the technology followed a rigorous, clinician-led design process. After a six-month clinical immersion across hospitals in Telangana, the founders built and tested multiple prototypes, beginning in 2017. With early grant support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the device underwent iterative refinement over 4.5 years. Clinical validation was conducted in both private hospitals, such as AIG and Kamineni Hospitals, and government institutions including Niloufer Hospital, Hyderabad. Subsequent deployments expanded across Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, and Punjab.

Since its launch in 2022, NemoCare Raksha has been used to monitor over 20,000 newborns across India. By enabling early detection of hypothermia, respiratory distress, and oxygen desaturation, the system has contributed to timely interventions and improved survival outcomes, particularly among premature and low-birth-weight infants. The solution has also reduced the need for costly referrals to distant Special Newborn Care Units, easing financial and emotional burdens on families.

Measurable Impact on Newborn Survival and Care Quality

To ensure affordability and adoption, NemoCare employs differentiated deployment models. Government hospitals receive bundled solutions through CSR-supported programmes, small and mid-sized nursing homes operate on a per-baby monitoring fee, and large private hospitals procure devices outright. The reusable, rechargeable design—capable of up to 200 uses per year—further reduces lifecycle costs.

Building on this foundation, NemoCare is developing an AI-enabled neonatal analytics platform with support from BIRAC and ICMR. This platform aims to predict the onset of illness and long-term complications, transforming real-time monitoring data into clinical decision support and population-level insights. The company holds multiple Indian patents, has applied for US FDA approval, and has raised Rs 1 crore in funding to accelerate this expansion.

NemoCare Raksha demonstrates how indigenous, frugal innovation can strengthen India’s healthcare system. By augmenting overstretched clinical staff, standardising newborn monitoring, and extending quality care to peripheral facilities, such technologies can significantly reduce neonatal mortality. Scaled nationally, wearable monitoring platforms like Raksha can support India’s public health goals by ensuring that timely, data-driven neonatal care becomes accessible not as an exception, but as a standard of care across the country.