IIT Madras develops tool to improve SC community’s health in Chittoor

The project was implemented in E Palaguttapalli SC and adjoining hamlets, PakaJa Mandal and Pulicherla Mandal, in Chittoor, Andhra Pradesh, which have a population of around 100 SC households, each having 5-6 members. 

The Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has developed an information technology tool to monitor and improve the health of rural Scheduled Caste (SC) communities in Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh. The IT tool, which is developed using open source software, was deployed to gather detailed household-level annual health-related information. 

This IT tool was also utilised to make an objective assessment of the impact of medical treatment and dietary advice on priority health issues. This would lead to evolving an optimal rural healthcare plan based on treatment efficacy and expenses. 

The project was implemented in E Palaguttapalli SC and its adjoining hamlets, PakaJa Mandal and Pulicherla Mandal, in Chittoor district, Andhra Pradesh, which have a population of around 100 Scheduled Caste (SC) households, each having 5-6 members. “In the past, their diet consisted of mainly ragi and other millets, plenty of milk products, fish and other aquatic meat. Due to poverty, their current diet is dry and poor, devoid of dals, milk products or meat,” the team noted.  

The doctor team from SV College of Ayurveda - Harnath Chary and Dr Gnana prasoonaamba visited the villages once in every two months and helped in effective implementation of the project. Internet-based live interactions were organised every alternate month where special lectures on improving health were delivered. 

C Lakshmana Rao, Department of Applied Mechanics, IIT Madras, said, “In pilot villages, a detailed baseline survey and mapping of health status and health expenses using IT tools was undertaken. It was intended to address priority health issues through medical treatment and dietary advice and its monitoring using IT tools. A post-intervention survey and mapping of health status and health expenses using IT tools.” 

Grameen Ayurveda mobile application  

The team headed by Lakshmana Rao developed ‘Grameen Ayurveda mobile application,’ an innovative Android-based smart manager of a person’s total health programme. The app provides online doctor appointments, maintains patent data in digital form and it will help to track patient health status and treatment records. It takes care of the follow-up routine of patients, and patients are reminded for routine re-check if required. 

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