New Delhi : Due to birth asphyxia (inability to breathe at birth), thousands of newborn babies used to lose their lives every year or become victims of serious conditions like cerebral palsy and autism. Foreign machines were expensive and beyond the reach of small hospitals. But now Indian technology has found an affordable and effective solution to this challenge, that too on a ‘Made in India’ model, enabling many hospitals across the country to save the lives of newborns.
In 2014, Dr. Niranjan Thomas, the then head of the neonatal department at Christian Medical College, Vellore, studied this challenge in depth. He started working together with Pluss Advanced Technologies. After 2 years of continuous effort and research, a unique device named ‘Miracradle’ was developed.
This device is based on Phase Change Material (PCM) technology. It keeps newborn babies at the right temperature for up to 72 hours. It works without requiring much electricity and without constant monitoring. It is lightweight, easily portable, and does not harm the delicate skin of the baby.
Most importantly, its cost is only around ₹1.50 to 2 lakh, whereas foreign machines cost several lakhs.
A remarkable example of Make in India
Miracradle has been completely developed in India. It is working in alignment with the National Health Mission (NHM), Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK), and Sustainable Development Goals (SDG-3). Now, world-class treatment is becoming available even in district hospitals and remote villages.
Saved more than 20,000 children in the last 12 years
From the beginning till now, Miracradle has been installed in more than 500 hospitals across India. In these ten years, this device has saved the lives of more than 20,000 newborn babies. Many children who were earlier at risk of disability are now completely healthy and living normal lives.
The efforts of Dr. Niranjan Thomas and the team at Pluss Advanced Technologies prove that when Indian scientists and doctors work together, expensive foreign technology can be made cheaper, simpler, and better.
Miracradle is not only saving tiny lives but also bringing a new ray of hope to thousands of families. It has emerged as a strong example of ‘Make in India’ and is receiving recognition from NITI Aayog and various government institutions. Now, there is a need to increase awareness about it so that more hospitals—especially government hospitals—adopt it and save even more newborn lives.
