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March 10, 2022• Featured, News, Tech

Why celebrate World Senior Citizen Day?

iKure’s purpose in celebrating world senior citizen day is to raise awareness and support the health conditions of older people.

21st August is regarded as World Senior Citizen Day. Anyone beyond 60 years of age is a Senior Citizen by convention.We cannot help but lamenting that we cannot boast of having done anything remarkable on the welfare of Senior Citizens of this country by the method of policy…and this matter does not fare high in the list of authoritative priorities.

Nevertheless, bodies and associations have come forwards since not too long, to think on this sensitive issue and create a better living for a senior citizen across this country.

Old age homes have started dotting everywhere but the terms and conditions for housing them must be subsidized to include more and more of such population….without too much of a burden for the self-financing groups. Old people remain isolated from the family buzz and children moving to greener pastures leave such hapless people vulnerable to the nuances of social insecurities and bodily morbidities. They become alienated from the families they once took pride in building up and become redundant in the household of younger folks. Their opinions do not matter anymore in the day to day lives of the gen X and the seamless peace of life gets replaced by daily miseries of psyche and dignity. They are made to be figured out as burdens to the society.

Senior Citizens are prone to suffer from several clusters of diseases as below:

Cardiovascular ailments…acquired over their lifetime which needs to be addressed seriously. Coronary Arterial disease/Valvular disorders/Heart Failure/Heart Attacks (AMI) dominate the,list of morbidities in this group.

1. Lifestyle diseases such as Hypertension/Diabetes/Dyslipidaemias/Obesity form the prominent members of this groupacquired as a result of erratic/unrestricted lifestyle and often with genetic predisposition. They need lifelong care from Physicians attending them periodically, for as long as they would survive.

2. Gastrointestinal conditions like..Colonic disorders/Chronic constipation/GERD/Anorectal diseases/ Genitourinary diseases…. form another group which need either one time attention, or, follow up with the respective Speciality Doctors.

3. Neurological conditions like Stroke causing bedridden morbidity with/without paralysis needing prolonged close care by family members/attendants…or….physiotherapy for extended sessions form a bulk of suffering in this age group..

4. Miscellaneous category…comprised by Psychiatric illnesses/ Abandoned cases /Victims of physical abuse/Discharged from Hospitals or infirmaries with no family contact/ Addicts to Drugs and Alcohol / Homeless ones… etc.

All the above ailments require financial help and social inputs to manage the vulnerable segment of population and the dreaded solitude that it entails…which in itself brings down the life span of such seniors….the octogenarians and nonagenerians in society.

There are many countries where such people form a major part of the living society…such as Japan…who can boast of well laid down policies and generous grants from the government, to take care of the issues related to old age survivors and their health matters.

In india we are still far from this achievement in a mentionable way but efforts have just begun! The discipline which deals with medical issues of this age is called “Geriatrics” and Doctors are getting specialized in this field to work with only senior citizens.

Our mindset needs to change to support and care for the people of such advanced age in their twilight years and not regard them as just ‘gone over the hill’. ..!

Children need to be more sensitive and empathic to the needs of their parents who brought them up and not forget that they are also going to reach this age one day in future.

We need to approach this social malady in a holistic and pragmatic way seeking cooperation from NGO-s and similar social workers and a teamwork of trained personnel to come forwards in solving this growing issue of ‘unattended in old age’ concept.

How iKure is working towards the welfare goals of senior citizens?

“iKure” is an exemplary organization striving towards the very challenging goal of making the lives of our citizens better through many of its innovative ways and means, often defeating the challenges of human resource mobilization and deployment………..meaningful utilization of available resources…and constantly looking for areas of intervention in healthcare…in domestic & international geography, to mention a few!

In its ambit of operations…iKure has allotted priority to some areas of suffering of fellow human beings,such as Lifestyle diseases ( NCD-s) which is a modern scourge to humanity.

Across the intervention areas of this organization, a sizeable portion of the target community served hails from this group….the Senior Citizens….for whom we pay a little added focus, because of the enumerous socio-economical nuances, that such people have to face in their day to day lives.

iKure organizes medical camps from time to time…..serving the regional population…many of whom are of advanced age..in the areas of NCD-s….with regards to an holistic approach…which includes not only management of such ailments but the relevant health education required to understand such diseases…up..close..and personal ..by gaining knowledge on the occurrence causes…preventive modalities…and complications which may come up…for those who unfortunately have fallen victim to such diseases.

iKure attaches a lot of importance on Eyecarewhich is predominantly skewed towards the elderly folks, in addressing the conditions arising in old age such as Cataract/Glaucoma/ARMD/Retinal deterioration etc. The organization applies modern technology to detect such conditions in a proactive manner, screens the population of such sinister eye diseases and guides them through the scientific protocol of management /referral of such cases, being affected by specific eye diseases. Had this not been in place, a lot of hapless and underprivileged people would have lost their eyesight by now!

The mechanism is on.. to increase the door-to-door surveillance of the segment of the senior population affected by Cardiovascular Disease by means of remote monitoring and coordination through wearable devices …..under experimentation for implementation policy. This will go a long way to detect major and minor cardiac ailments for a timely referral to the domain of specialists to address the particular issues.

Last but not the least…iKure is in the planning stage to enter into a rather new concept of “ Continuum of Care“…wherein….it can collaborate with secondary/tertiary Medical Centres,to take care of interim/transitory patient care for the welfare of patients in the home settings of such clientele, many of whom are senior citizens.

With iKure’s integrated efforts, we can only hope that the plight of senior citizens gets better with time in this country and around the world…in order that this day is celebrated with increasing fervor in society…in times to come.

March 10, 2022• Featured, Tech

iKure Celebrates National Nutrition Week

The National Nutritional Week ( the first week of September) concept was created by the Govt. Of India in 1982 to emphasize,educate and create awareness among people on the importance of eating/drinking the right kind of nutrients and the impact it has on the health of a person.

The word ‘Nutrition’ means the understanding of consumption of all edibles available to one, leading to the promotion of health and the word ‘Dietetics’ implies the management of facts and science behind the right kind of food elements towards good health and in conditions of disease, along with other preventative, prophylactic and therapeutic measures.

Nutrition is the fundamental birthright of all citizens of this country and one of the strong pivotal criteria of building a sound human base for the upkeep of this nation. The only way to create this in a continuous manner against all nuances is to provide the basic nutrition to all people of this country in the journey from ‘developing’ to ‘developed’ nation …beginning with breastfeeding just after being born to food guidance in the later years in life through all ages ! Lamenting though..we have not reached anywhere near to the standards of many a nation in this world…on this topic..which is not even given its due priority.

We can only wish a separate ministry by the name of “ Ministry of Nutrition and healthy consumerism “ be formed in India, to take care of the myriad aspects of nutrition plaguing this nation and the solutions needed to address the same.

‘Midday School Meals’ need to be taken much more seriously across the length and breadth of this country to plant the sapling of a sound nutrition to children who are the future citizens of India. There is no uniform policy in place for the proper utilization of funds allocated on this and just any combination of low grade food elements are used to serve such meals to children. ..often to the point of denial. This needs a serious redressal and soon. ‘Maternal and Child Nutrition’ needs to be looked into from a rather preventive angle.

‘Food adulteration’ is another area of mammoth deception to mankind for easy profits and takes a serious toll on human health in the long run. There is simply no effective law on this and the punishments are not grave and the involved people get away easily without any significant punitive measures. This applies to both raw food elements in the open market, as well as, semi-prepared and prepared food which is plain speaking unfit for human consumption. Recent instances of passing off animal carcasses as consumable meat to humans, form a glaring example to the height of daringness and apathy on vigil in this matter !

We need more Nutritionists & dietician to cover the large population of this country to work towards the sound health of people through Governmental and Non-governmental organisations and they should be empowered with authority to book the offenders and refer them for due legal recourse. This week is dedicated to initiate and start such projects across the states of this country ,with a varying theme each year, with regards to poor maternal nutrition/ill health of children/ignored health of poverty stricken population and more. There must also be stress on the educative aspects of this huge problem by different means of reaching the vulnerable segment of the population and guided by the general literacy of those affected. Group meetings with real time food sample demonstration sessions and a guide to elementary home cooking can go a long way to initiate a campaign towards sound nutrition of humans. Food analysis….random check on food vendors….and standardization of policies need to be implemented with immediate effect….to prevent the growing menace of food adulteration which has already cost a good no. of human and animal lives in this country of ours ! A good amount of research in nutrition as applicable to the socioeconomic fabric of this nation and monitoring the impact at the ground level…is also a perquisite.

March 10, 2022• Lifestyle, Tech, Travel

What Causes High Prevalence of Anemia in Rural Hinterland- A case study to assess the gap

Anemia is most prevalent in low-resource settings, where it goes undetected until becomes severe. Despite the implementation of several initiatives by the Government, India has made only 13 percent progress in eradicating anemia (Global Nutrition Report, 2017).¹

Periodic screening and early diagnosis are the keys to controlling anemia. The conventional Hb tests involve invasive methods with the requirement of hygienic infrastructure and skilled healthcare providers. But with the huge gap in basic health infrastructure, rural community members have very little provision for diagnostic facilities.

In Kenduapal Village of PaschimMedinipur, West Bengal shows 88 percent of reproductive-age women have undergone Hb tests for the first time in their lives. They were not aware, if they are prone to a high-risk pregnancy or not. It also indicates the behavioral risk factor which contributes to delay in Anemia detection.

According to WHO recommendation, a non-invasive hemoglobin device is proved to be a good addition. Non-invasive point of care devices can eliminate the potential contamination, bio-hazard handling and can even enable frontline health workers with basic education to perform Hb Test.2 Joseph et al. (2016) also affirm that non-invasive methods are safer than invasive methods and improve patient satisfaction.3Bandyopadhyay S., Neogi, and John D. et al. (2019) further contributed to the fact that as most of the anaemia screening happen in outreach settings, where provision for laboratory support seems difficult, the device ought to be tested in field settings with health workers, non-invasive diagnostic provides viable accuracy.⁴

iKure’s non-invasive anemia screening initiative started with the vision of reaching out to the last mile community. Members are chosen from the community and are technologically and clinically trained to use them for screening patients. The community health workers are further mobilized to collect other health parameters important to understand the risk of the patients. Instead of using a paper-based format, CHWs use WHIMS that is able to collect patients’ vitals on a cloud server. The data available on the cloud are further sent to medical professionals for referral and counseling.

However, while iron deficiency is the main cause, micronutrient deficiency, inflammations and inherited disorders also contribute to anemia. A baseline report of mother and child health camps reveals that 64% of pregnant women were anemic and 30% with milder anemia. Nutritional experts suggested that a large section of the community are found to be anemic because of women’s ‘‘non-compliance/non-adherence” to the consequences of the anemia and fear and anxiety towards invasive blood drawing.5 Also, women’s consumption rate of IFA supplements are low since they complain of suffering from gastrointestinal upset. Altering such behavior requires regular counselling. iKure’s CHWs are deployed to spread awareness and bring positive health-seeking behavior among pregnant women, new mothers, and adolescent girls.

iKure’s non-invasive anemia testing initiative has been rolled out successfully in school health program and mother and child health camps catchment areas. Within few months, it has gained significant traction such as:

In West Bengal and Karnataka more than 50% population are found to improve IFA tablets consumption rate.
Regular awareness and counseling by iKure medical team during health camps have altered care-seeking behaviour with a reduced percentage of anemic patients
The introduction of non-invasive screening devices has improved patients’
footfall with more women willing for Hb tests

While priorities and approaches may differ according to geographic settings, but strategies to curb anemia remain the same. At iKure, we believe in bringing the desired change soon in India’s rural villages.

Reference :

1. “From promise to impact ending malnutrition by 2030”,Global Nutrition Report,2017,
2. Ma’ayan L., Choppe L., Tikva P., Israel, Lausanne, “Non-Invasive Hemoglobin Screening for Diagnosis and Monitoring of Anemia”, Read More
3. Josheph, Bella., Haider, Ansab., Rhee, Peter., “Non-invasive hemoglobin monitoring”, International Journal of Surgery, 33 (2016):254-257
4. Neogi SB, John D, Sharma J et al. Cost-effectiveness of invasive devices versus non-invasive devices for screening of anemia in field settings in India: A study protocol [version 1; peer review: 1 not approved] F1000Research 2019, 8:861 Read More
5. “Nutritional Anaemias: Tools for Effective Prevention and Control”, World Health Organization, 2017, Read More

May 13, 2018• Staff Picks, Travel

The untold story of iKure beyond the narrow trails

We were at the first mile in the last mile. Our car driver whom we lovingly called Nattu was in high spirits praising the new road which has recently found a new shape after the smoothen pitch. Soon his sunlit smile faded when the road started getting narrow after taking first few turns from the NH6 Highway. The journey continued, and my heart sank, more we drove in. The road was getting narrower and almost disappearing now and then. However, the golden wheat fields, field laden with marigold flowers, and the untamed river that followed us assured me of the hope that there is a way beyond. I was led by two team members who drove the motorbike, carefree but determined of the road ahead and the founder of the ‘Unicorn’, acknowledged as the ‘100 most Influential Leader 2020’ continuing his untiring efforts of handling the venture’s responsibilities over the phone, while I waited impatiently for the journey to get over through the narrow trails.

Finally, the stop arrived at a primary school in an unknown little village in Gologram in West Bengal. iKure’s mobile medical team was already in full gear attending the patients that have gathered for the eye and medical check-up. Two Doctors, with a Paramedicine staff, Health Worker, and Program in- Charge were busy registering patient’s vitals using AI enabled health tech devices.

Locational factors have an important bearing on the potential of healthcare supplies. In urban poor and remote locations, it is difficult for healthcare systems to attain the demands of critical services. Most of the journeys made by our beneficiaries are at substantial risk of fatal outcomes during emergency cases. Therefore for iKure, it is important to provide access to primary healthcare facilities through mobile medical teams that are usually set up in schools or in local administrative offices.

The pandemic in India is witnessing its second wave, people are creeping out of their shelters, still hesitant to explore beyond their safe zone, but this medical team has a message for all of us. Inspiring as they accept risk as part of their chosen job roles, hardly exhibiting concerns on their routine door-step schedule, at iKure’s medical camps and in hubs. The immense accreditations and support to fulfill the mission of iKure ‘Creating zero mortality in primary healthcare’ through their hands and the unwavering determination of their hearts is enough to bring smiles to our beneficiaries during the challenging times of the COVID-19.

Primary healthcare is the first line of defense to keep people safe. The primary healthcare system has the capacity to diagnose, track, and contain community outbreaks while providing essential services.

iKure is prioritizing its regular services through technology innovations, mass screening operations, and research interventions that use primary data to help identify and address the gaps and laying a strong foundation for primary healthcare to protect people from the next health threats.

iKure has treated more than a million patients with plans to open 200 clinics in the next three to four years. It is already offering health-tech solutions in Vietnam with plans to serve in other South-east Asian countries like Cambodia, Philippines, and Indonesia.

The journey way back home was different. I found Nattu’s face lit up again while he shared one of his journeys with the iKure’s medical team in Keshiary, in remote West Bengal. He recalled, he had to carry back home the team through a bamboo bridge that was half immersed due to the flood. Fearing the car might not find its way underneath the water, they waited till 2:00 am for the water to subside. And finally, when they returned, it was time again for another journey.

It might come across for many that Ratan Tata’s investment has been easy for iKure. But the immense trade-off, patience, and teamwork go without saying, they haven’t had it all yet. While the team is gearing up to scale-up and expand its operations, this investment is a huge encouragement for iKure as they believe, iKure’s services will make the real difference for the people who need it most, as access to primary healthcare will be the corner stone to confront the pandemic and the situation beyond it.

May 9, 2017• Lifestyle

Pandemic and Public Health: A Contradiction

“I am a cardiac patient. Doctor suggested me an immediate cardiac surgery before 6 months. But due to lockdown I couldn’t even travel to Kolkata. Ambulance charges become so high! Even train services are not available yet. What could be done? Should I die?”, Moidul Chacha was speaking about his critical situation during a conversation with iKure’s Community Health Worker. The situation has become a common phenomenon in rural India. As per the Govt. of India data, it has been revealed that due to huge expense in health, approximately six crores thirty lakhs population fall under Below Poverty Level (BPL). The situation has even become worsened in the midst of lockdown. Primary Health Care Centers (PHC) supposed to be the first point of contact for Covid-19 patients. Taking experience from China and Italy, it has been suggested that of all patients with the disease, 5-10 percent of them become severely ill and need admission to a health facility. About 70 percent of these patients can be managed with supportive care and oxygen, which can be provide through PHCs. PHCs are the frontline health providers and also awareness campaigns could be deliver by the Primary Health Care Centers. But the real situation is truly bitter. ‘Good Doctors’ are not available in maximum number of PHCs. People have to travel so long to avail the health care delivery system. The coronavirus diseases (Covid-19) has created a huge pressure on the healthcare system in our nation. As per the orders of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, it has been revealed that the parental and vaccination of pregnant women supposed to take place at Primary and Community Health Centers. However, it was observed that these services were largely ignored during the lockdown. According to the Pradhan Mantri Safal Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA), around 44,000 women die every year due to pregnancy-related complications whereas 6.6 lakhs children die within 28 days of birth. As per Gaon Connection survey, it has been found that only 29 per cent pregnant women confirmed check-ups and vaccination in West Bengal. While the condition of PHCs are down, even the situation of Govt. hospitals are also horrible. As per the recent data from World Bank, it has been estimated that only 0.7 beds are available for 1000 population and numbers vary in different states. For instance, 1.05 beds are available in Kerala followed by 1.1 in Tamilnadu, whereas 1.05 beds in Delhi and 2.25 beds are available in West-Bengal for 1000 patients. The ratio between doctors and patients is so alarming. Less than 1 doctor (0.857) is only available per 100 patients. The 21st century is witnessing the changes in travel and trade, urbanization, environmental degradation and other trends that increase the risk of disease outbreaks, their spread and amplification into epidemics and pandemics. At the same time, the science and knowledge around infectious hazards are constantly evolving.Now, India is about to reach fifty lakhs mark for Covid-19 situation. As per the data, India is the second worst hit country in the world. Renowned scientists and notable doctors are commenting that if we consider our population is 140 crores out of which, 60%-70% (approximately 60 crores to 70 crores) must be infected with Covid-19, so that herd-immunity would be creating among rest of the population before discovering and producing an effective vaccine to eradicate Covid-19.

In many cases, it has been witnessed that people are now shifted to contactless health check-ups during Covid-19 pandemic. Even in this critical situation, iKure is working effortlessly to helping the rural healthcare system in every single day. The organization has organised more than 100 camps during this lockdown period. Huge numbers of patients are visiting iKure clinics to meet the doctors and availing health check-ups. Community Health Workers of iKure is regularly visiting patients’ house and taking important vitals through WHIMS. The intervention from iKure has developed to fill the gap between PHC and a patient ten years ago. Practically, many remote areas are lacking behind in the distance between a PHC and a patient. In rural areas, a patient has to travel more than 20 kilometers to avail a service from PHC. The iKure team is collecting data through WHIMS and working in partnership model with research institutes, NGOs and healthcare partners to identify critical health issues in communities and design holistic approach to prevent disease maintaining utmost hygiene and provide nutritional components that treat the disease from its route cause.

Now, the question is how could the govt. system evolve this public health crisis in a different way? Whether technological revolution will come into place to provide healthcare for the underserved or infrastructure of PHCs could be developed to provide quality health-care services to the underserved?

Soumyadip Chatterjee
Manager-Research and Communications
iKure Techsoft

October 13, 2015• Travel

Dedicated to all the women who shaped and defined iKure

Dr. Tirumala Santra Mandal, Sr. Research & Communication Analyst, iKure brings forefront her experience in working with the other women of iKure who with her contributed and defined the venture’s entrepreneurial journey, carved new beginnings supported through women power and sisterhood- a must have for every startup culture. Read on…

iKure’s journey over several years has been shaped by countless hands. And few among them are the fearless, prominent, and prolific women, who championed new initiatives at iKure, took away our doubts, stood by us and ushered hope – with support and smile. On International Women’s Day, I take this opportunity to thank them all with immense gratitude.…. I remember the old adage, “A strong women stand for herself, a stronger woman stands for everybody else.” The narrative tells us that over the years, women have transformed and supported other women to rise up and above the rest. At iKure I have had the privilege to experience the participation of such women who stood and supported our journey both externally and internally paving way for success, flourish and thrive. Satoko Kono, Arun LLC, President-Her association with iKure started as an investor from Japan. Her calm and vibrant nature has always amazed me. She is extremely polite, naïve and takes a keen interest in our activities, success, even failure, and impact. Her eye for detail, down-to-earth attitude, and her infectious energy is something that my team always admires whenever she visits them in the field. Shreyshi Dey & Sharmistha Roy, University Of Michigan-They joined us back as VP in Research iKure. Though for a brief period of time, I recall their contribution particularly for bringing up the new iKure logo. I remember, the entire team debated around it, but they were quick and prompt to understand that what we wanted was something that can resonate with the community and reflect our motto. Kudos to them to get it just right! Mallika Rani. Das, CHW Tabageria- One year back, I met her in our Tabageria Hub. Draped in green saree, the uniform she adorns was sited among other CHWs who were getting ready to start their day’s job with door-step visits. I asked her, can you tell me what exactly you say when you visit our beneficiaries. In the next minute, the way she introduced us with a brief narrative of iKure’s mission left me amazed. While few of her fellow mates have left, but she remained with us, sure of the journey that brought her more value and respect than anywhere else. Today she handles new devices, screens patients and counsels women like a PRO. Way to go!

Gayatri S. Achari, Project Assistant-I am inspired by her continued faith and dedication towards her job. She has been a valuable member of iKure’s initiatives in Karnataka. She would often tell me, how she has become an inspiration for her family. Many pregnant women in her community preferred consulting her rather than a doctor. She told me, how working for iKure has helped her gain such respect for herself. I learned from her, it is important to love what you do, rather how you do. It adds value to work in many ways. Shwethnisha Bose,Parswati Das, Ritika Singha Roy, Riya Das, & Debleena Ganguli, Kanika Das, Technology, Operations, Research developer – The current women brigade of iKure are known for multitasking, promptness, emphatic and carrying never- say-no attitude towards their deliverables. During my daily course of interactions with them, I found them immensely passionate, braving all-odds at personal fronts and making new narratives of women co-working, co-learning and supporting each other which very few workplaces can even boost. They are responsible for bringing customized technology solutions across borders, operational acumen, in-depth impact reports, and excellent designing skills. You guys rock!

Avanti Gomes, Trainee at iKure- The young women from the University of Technology, Sydney proved that you should never undermine the young minds, making us believe once again, good things come in small packages. Her insights and deep understanding of iKure’s operations were well researched and thoroughly studied. She left behind the thought that there is lot more to women self than meets the eye. Jayanti Santra, My Mother- She is a homemaker, but a cheerleader for iKure. She raised both of her children with a wider perspective in life. Both our parents have been always supportive of our decisions and taught us to value others, be courageous and self-reliant. Her immense belief and faith in me helped me overcome my self-doubt whenever I felt low & timid. Sarah Santra, My sister-in-law- This narrative would be incomplete without mentioning her about her support towards iKure. While her husband, the CEO travelled extensively, she managed the home front with Élan, and we all know, it is no less than managing an empire. I admire her playing a pivotal role in beautifying the office ambiance with her intricate designing and styling sense which goes without saying is much valued for. She helped me understand the bigger picture of life and admiring the fact that we stand for each other when needed. More power to sisterhood.

iKure has been led by many other peers, trainees, partners whom I could not mention here due to word limits, but they are truly our cheerleaders, importantly helping us become one of the very few start-ups acquire immense acceptance and global recognition within a short span of time. We value each one of- you and look forward to having onboard more women power to inspire and support us ahead! Dr. Tirumala Santra Mandal, Sr. Research & Communication Analyst

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