TiE Delhi-NCR and Prayatna are partnering to host an IT-enabled innovation-based Hackfest, ‘Malaria Hackfest – Predict, Plan & Prevent’, powered by Mortein, aiming to address gaps in surveillance, location spotting, and forecasting malaria outbreaks.
The programme would be inviting all the top tech schools in the country viz., IITs, NITs, IIITs to the hackfest with an aim to scout for start-ups for addressing these gaps. The winner would carry home awards of up to INR 5 lakhs. Speaking about the initiative, Ravi Bhatnagar, Director, External Affairs and Partnerships, SOA, Reckitt, “With the help of the nation’s skilled youth from top technical schools, this programme seeks to develop scalable solutions to bridge the gaps of curtailing malaria and improve overall health of the nation.”
India needs IT-enabled innovation to address malaria concerns. This includes real-time surveillance systems, forecasting of increased infestations, gradient heat mapping of breeding sites, and a scalable model spanning grass root to national level. These measures will help policy makers, healthcare workforce, and program implementers make informed decisions and address climate change, extreme temperatures, and flora and fauna.
