Transforming Maternal and Child Healthcare in India with Dōtō? Health

In India, maternal and child healthcare presents an ongoing challenge, especially in underserved communities. According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), India’s infant mortality rate (IMR) stands at 35 deaths per 1,000 live births and the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) is 97 deaths per 100,000 live births.?

However, many of these deaths are preventable if complications are detected and managed in a timely manner. Care by skilled health professionals before, during, and after childbirth can save the lives of many women and newborns. These gaps in maternal care are compounded by limited access to quality prenatal and postnatal care in rural areas.??

Digital health solutions offer a promising avenue to address these critical challenges by enabling timely treatment decisions and identifying high-risk pregnancies at an early stage.??

How Dōtō? Health is Changing the Landscape?

CareMother by Doto Health is stepping up to address challenges in maternal and newborn care through innovative digital health solutions. The company offers a one-stop solution for maternal and newborn monitoring with AI-powered decision-support tools. It empowers healthcare providers to deliver quality care through a single platform, covering the entire care pathway—conception, antenatal care, labour and delivery, and newborn monitoring—reducing the burden on clinics and hospitals.?

CareMother Connect integrates wearable devices and advanced AI monitoring systems, including remote healthcare management, to identify pregnancy risks in real-time. This allows patients and caregivers to intervene early and improve health outcomes.?

By enabling early detection, timely intervention, and improved access to care, their innovation can save countless lives and improve the health and well-being of mothers and children.?

CareMother has already impacted over 500,000 lives through 1 million+ tests and by connecting 2,000+ healthcare providers in India and five other developing nations across Asia and Africa.?

Beyond maternal care, Dōtō?Health has leveraged its deep domain expertise to develop a pipeline of AI-powered point-of-care tools for cervical cancer screening, reproductive tract infections (RTI/STI), and urinary tract infection (UTI) screening.?

The People Behind Dōtō?Health?

The founding team, with backgrounds in healthcare technology and a passion for social impact, is driven to close the healthcare gap in rural India. Their expertise in data science, healthcare systems, and product development uniquely positions them to build sustainable solutions that scale across communities.?

The company was founded in December 2022 by Dr Dr. Shantanu Pathak and Nikesh Ingle .?Shantanu is a PhD scholar in Biomedical Engineering from IIT Bombay, and his area of expertise is non-invasive technologies for women's reproductive health. He was awarded the President of India’s Innovation Scholar Award in 2015, the Google SMB Hero Award in 2017, the Top 10 Innovator Award by MIT, DST, and Lockheed Martin in 2018, and the Emerging Leader Award by Skoll Foundation in 2019.???

Nikesh graduated from IIT Bombay with a specialisation in Technology and Development with a focus on rural development policies and schemes. He was a Fellow with the Ministry of Rural Development and has worked on building and implementing ecosystems to strengthen the livelihood of communities.??

Market Feasibility and Scalability?

Dōtō Health is strategically positioned to leverage the growing maternal and child healthcare market in India, which is valued at over INR 15,000 crore and expected to grow at a CAGR of 15% in the coming years. With a rise in institutional deliveries—over 52% in public facilities and nearly 80% in private—there is an increasing demand for better quality and accessible care.?

Additionally, initiatives such as the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan and the National Health Mission further signal the government’s continued commitment to improving maternal and child health. The market is supported by over 52,000 health facilities capable of providing perinatal care, including 35,000 PHCs and CHCs and around 15,000 private-sector facilities concentrated in urban areas. This presents a significant addressable market for Dōtō?Health’s innovative solutions.??

Looking ahead, Dōtō Health plans to expand its focus in the southwest states of India—Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, and Tamil Nadu. Simultaneously, they are working to forge partnerships with public health sectors to facilitate deployment in PHCs, CHCs, and district hospitals, ensuring widespread access to quality maternal and childcare.?

The Role of Social Alpha in Supporting Dōtō?Health?

By investing in Dōtō Health, Social Alpha is supporting a company with the potential to significantly impact the lives of millions of women and children in India and worldwide. Our partnership with Dōtō Health aligns with our mission of driving positive social and economic change through innovation.?

At Social Alpha, we believe in going beyond financial investment. We work closely with Dōtō Health, offering strategic guidance and support in their journey toward scaling their solutions. Our involvement helps Dōtō Health navigate the complexities of reaching new markets and expanding its operations while balancing sustainability and social value creation.?

Through ongoing collaboration, we work on both immediate needs and long-term goals, ensuring that Dōtō Health remains well-positioned to deliver high-quality care solutions and continues to improve maternal and child healthcare outcomes.?

Written by Arushi Manglunia Chirania , Health and Wellness, Social Alpha ?