The Government of Kerala, in collaboration with Remidio, an AI-driven ophthalmic screening solutions, has launched Nayanamritham 2.0, a government-led AI-assisted chronic eye disease screening programme. This pioneering initiative leverages artificial intelligence to enhance early detection and streamline eye disease screening, making quality eye care more accessible and efficient across the state.
Building on the success of Nayanamritham 1.0, which introduced diabetic retinopathy (DR) screening at family health centres with expert interpretation by ophthalmologists at secondary and tertiary centres. The new phase, Nayanamritham 2.0 aims to empower optometrists with Remidio’s AI-enabled fundus cameras that classify cases as referable or non-referable, ensuring faster diagnosis and timely referrals.
In addition to DR, Nayanamritham 2.0 expands its scope to include screening for two major chronic eye disease – Glaucoma and Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD). The programme now extends across community health centres, taluk hospitals, and district hospitals, making comprehensive eye care available at all levels of the healthcare system.
Anand Sivaraman, CEO of Remidio, highlighted the transformative impact of this collaboration, stating, “The Kerala Government has been a pioneer in integrating technology into public health. With Nayanamritham 2.0, Kerala becomes the first government public health system in the world to adopt AI for chronic eye disease screening.”
At the launch event, Dr Bipin Gopal, Deputy Director, DHS, Government of Kerala, emphasised the role of AI in strengthening healthcare delivery:
“AI isn’t here to replace healthcare providers—it’s here to empower them. By leveraging ethical AI, we are enabling optometrists to detect routine cases with AI-powered cameras, while ophthalmologists can focus on advanced cases, delivering the highest quality care where it’s needed most.”
As AI continues to redefine healthcare globally, Nayanamritham 2.0 aims to enhance efficiency and accuracy in screenings, and empowers healthcare providers to deliver better patient care.