Khushi Baby: Origins; teaching case presentation

Abstract

Khushi Baby is a not-for-profit venture from Rajasthan, India, that introduced an innovative low cost waterproof pendant for babies that is embedded with a Near Field Communication (NFC) Computer Chip with the baby’s entire immunization records. It replaces the paper-based system where records are easily lost or damaged and parents often forget to report to the immunization camps leaving children susceptible to disease. The pendant has a robust black threaded necklace which is like the traditional black thread tied around babies to ward off the evil eye and is thus never removed by mothers. The pendant is scanned with a smartphone application by healthcare workers on visits to administer vaccines and the data is uploaded to a cloud server when the health worker returns to the city. Khushi Baby aims to decentralize medical records to solve two problems – one, low levels of immunization of babies due to the inability of health workers to reach remote places and two, misplaced medical records of babies by their parents. Khushi Baby’s founder, Ruchit Nagar (Ruchit), was part of a student team at Yale University that developed a prototype of a wearable reminder for immunizations. The idea and prototype won the Thorne Prize for Social Innovation in Health and with the prize money, Khushi Baby was launched in May 2014. The system was field-tested in Udaipur with Seva Mandir, a local volunteer organization. The early prototype was enhanced to include comprehensive data collection and community engagement through effective publicity in rural areas and cell phone voice call reminders. “We are working to ensure that each pregnant woman and child’s health is tracked to the last mile so that millions of deaths can be averted”, says Ruchit. With only four full time employees, seven part time employees and sixteen full time contractors, the team has to grow both in size and reach.