Born in a village in Rajasthan’s Dausa district, Dr Sumita Meena, 35, had experienced tragedy in her own family as a child. Her sister had passed away just hours after birth as she was delivered at home, and they lacked access to immediate healthcare.

This experience led her to embark on a mission to improve healthcare access for others. During her residency, Dr Sumitra saw two types of parents in the emergency room — those who rushed in out of anxiety and those who arrived too late, after their child's condition had worsened.

“I always felt that both situations could be improved if parents spoke to a paediatrician first,” she says.

In 2022, Dr Sumitra launched ‘Babynama’, a digital paediatric care platform that would instantly answer the questions of parents. The idea stemmed from her own experience as a mother — despite being a paediatrician herself, she saw her husband struggle with parenting concerns.

Initially started as a WhatsApp group, Babynama quickly grew to serve thousands of parents across India. “I would get calls from all over the country, including remote villages,” Dr Sumitra recalls.

To meet the growing demand, she expanded the team, introducing 24/7 support with 50 paediatricians to handle daily queries.

As the platform grew, parents began seeking advice beyond medical emergencies. In response, the platform expanded its services, onboarding lactation consultants, nutritionists, and sleep specialists to offer comprehensive child care.

Babynama now offers various consultation plans, including an Essential Care plan for Rs 1,999 and a Holistic Care plan for Rs 3,999. The platform has grown to serve over two lakh parents, many of whom also participate in free webinars and engage with its expert-led community.

Dr Sumitra's mission is to make quality healthcare accessible, no matter where parents live. “I don’t want anyone to lose their child like my parents did due to a lack of facilities,” she emphasises.

To make Babynama even more accessible, she is working on integrating AI-powered chatbots to answer common parenting questions. “We are planning to launch plans starting from Rs 99 per month,” she says.

Among the many impactful moments in her journey, one stands out. Dr Sumitra recalls diagnosing a child with autism after multiple doctors had overlooked the condition. “With tears in her eyes, the child’s mother called me an angel. Her child was now thriving,” she shares.