India has launched a new digital healthcare platform called JANANI, short for Journey of Antenatal, Natal and Neonatal Integrated Care, with the aim of improving maternal and child healthcare across the country. Introduced by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare during the National Summit on Innovation and Inclusivity, the platform is being seen as a more advanced version of the existing Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) portal.
At its core, JANANI is designed to digitally track a woman’s healthcare journey through pregnancy, childbirth, postnatal care and beyond. The platform creates a continuous digital health record that follows women through different stages of reproductive healthcare, helping ensure that critical services are not missed.
One of the platform’s biggest features is the introduction of QR-enabled digital Mother and Child Health (MCH) cards. These digital cards allow healthcare professionals to instantly access patient records across hospitals, clinics and even different states. This could especially benefit migrant families who often lose access to consistent healthcare records when relocating.
The platform also includes real-time pregnancy tracking, reminders for vaccinations and antenatal check-ups, alerts for high-risk pregnancies and due-date follow-ups for healthcare workers. Officials believe these tools could help identify complications earlier and improve maternal and neonatal outcomes.
JANANI has also been integrated with other government health programmes, including U-WIN for immunisation tracking and POSHAN for nutrition support. This interoperability is expected to make healthcare delivery more streamlined and reduce duplication of records.
Women can register using Aadhaar, ABHA ID, biometric verification or even just a mobile number, making the platform more accessible across urban and rural areas.
The government says the larger aim is to strengthen last-mile healthcare delivery and ensure that mothers and children, particularly in vulnerable and mobile populations, receive timely care without interruption.
Early numbers suggest rapid adoption. According to officials, the platform has already recorded more than 1.34 crore registrations, including over 30 lakh pregnant women and more than 30 lakh digital MCH cards generated.
As India continues its push towards digital healthcare systems, JANANI could become an important step in making maternal and child healthcare more connected, accessible and continuous.