Digital weighing machine with camera and integrated keyboard

Simalwara Community Health Centre (CHC) is an impressive 100-bed facility that opened in July 2021. Walking down its spotless corridors, we reached the labour room where more than 170 births happen each month. A Digital Weighing Machine (DWM) that utilises the Internet of Things occupies a place of honour here. Every child born at the Simalwara CHC is weighed accurately to the third decimal. A photo, weight measurement and basic ID details are relayed to a server after each live birth. The analogue infant weighing scale has not been used at all since the CHC shifted to its swanky new premises.

Says Ms Kamla Pargi, labour room in-charge, “Till we shifted to these new premises, most of the deliveries had to be diverted to nearby primary health centres. Now we are functioning at full capacity. The DWM has been extremely useful for us to track birth weight. It is easier to weigh the child accurately as in the digital weighing scale; we don’t have to scrutinise the measurement as closely as the older scale.” The labour room register bears witness to DWM usage, with records matching between the two.

Labor room In-charge, Ms Kamla Pargi, with the Digital Weighing Machine at Simalwara Community Health Centre

“The machine has helped us identify borderline low birth weight cases on time. We can adequately counsel families regarding recommended care practices or refer children to Special Newborn Care Units, thanks to this feature. It has made our work easier,” she adds with a smile.

RajPusht has installed more than 150 of these innovative machines in Banswara, Dungarpur, Pratapgarh and Udaipur.