Arunachal Pradesh Deploys AI-enabled Newborn Monitoring App in East Siang

The digital component combines two functions, including AI-assisted assessment of newborn anthropometric parameters and electronic documentation of home-based newborn care visits.

In a move to strengthen newborn healthcare services, the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Arunachal Pradesh, has rolled out the Newborn Anthropometry AI (NBA) tool and Home-Based Newborn Care (HBNC) integrated with AI through the Shishu Mapan application in East Siang district

The initiative, launched in collaboration with Wadhwani AI and with support from the District Health Society, East Siang, aims to support frontline health workers with technology-enabled tools for improved monitoring and assessment of newborns at the community level.

The Shishu Mapan App combines two functions, including AI-assisted assessment of newborn anthropometric parameters and electronic documentation of home-based newborn care visits.

Developed by Wadhwani AI, the AI-enabled application is designed to support frontline health workers in monitoring newborns aged 0–42 days.

The application uses a video camera to capture key anthropometric parameters, including weight, length/height, head circumference, and chest circumference.

The approach is intended to provide technology-assisted anthropometric assessment at the community level and reduce reliance on conventional measurements that can require additional equipment and manual recording.

The application is designed for use by frontline workers including ASHAs, ANMs, CHOs and other health workers involved in newborn services.

Alongside newborn anthropometry, the initiative includes a digitised HBNC recording system, enabling ASHAs to electronically record newborn home visits.

The integrated platform is expected to simplify documentation, improve the availability of newborn-related data and strengthen monitoring of HBNC services by frontline health workers and programme managers.

As part of the rollout, a three-day training programme was conducted across the Ruksin, Pasighat and Mebo blocks of East Siang, providing training to around 108 ASHAs and 15 ASHA Facilitators.

The training was aimed at familiarising frontline workers with the NBA tool and the integration of AI-supported newborn monitoring with HBNC activities.

As per reports, before the current rollout, field-based contextualisation of the AI application was undertaken across Namsai, Papum Pare, East Siang, West Siang and Changlang districts.

The exercise was intended to adapt and validate the application for the population characteristics and field conditions of Arunachal Pradesh. Following the contextualisation exercise, the NBA-HBNC integrated AI application is being rolled out and scaled up in East Siang and West Siang.

Further, the state health department will assess the application's usability, accuracy, feasibility, and field-level acceptability during the rollout.

The findings are expected to inform any potential extension of the initiative to additional districts, the officials stated.

The latest development follows an ongoing collaboration between the National Health Mission (NHM), Arunachal Pradesh, and Wadhwani AI to integrate responsible artificial intelligence solutions into public health programs, aiming to improve healthcare access, enhance early diagnosis, and support frontline workers across the state.

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