The Karnataka Internet Assisted Diagnosis of Retinopathy of Prematurity (KIDROP) project was initiated in 2008 by the Narayana Nethralaya Postgraduate Institute of Ophthalmology, Bengaluru and was integrated with the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) in the Karnataka in 2009. It is India’s first and largest rural tele-medicine programme using tele-ophthalmology to tackle infant blindness, caused by Retinopathy of Prematurity (ROP). The KIDROP project uses trained technicians and digital equipment to provide diagnosis and treatment to premature infants in the under-served areas of rural Karnataka. As of 2014, KIDROP has screened over 17,800 infants in over 85 neonatal care centres across 19 districts of Karnataka since its launch.

This case study is a part of Good Practices Resource Book 2015 and can be found on page 165.