CareNest

Where this started

CareNest started from observing a common but serious problem in our communities: children’s health records are often fragmented, paper-based, and easily lost. Vaccination cards get misplaced, developmental records are incomplete, and parents struggle to prove a child’s medical history when visiting a new clinic, enrolling in school, or traveling. These gaps increase the risk of missed or repeated vaccines and disrupt continuity of care—especially for children in rural areas or mobile families.

What we figured out

As we explored this challenge, we realized the problem was not a lack of healthcare services, but a lack of trusted identity and linkage. Children do not control their own records, and parents or guardians often have no secure, standardized way to manage them across facilities. We learned that Digital ID, combined with consent and delegation, can act as a foundation to securely connect a child’s identity to their health records from birth through early development.

How it works

CareNest uses a Digital Child Health ID linked to a parent or guardian’s Digital ID. From a child’s first clinic visit, vaccinations, growth milestones, and key health events are securely recorded and associated with this ID. Authorized caregivers and healthcare workers can access or update records through consent-based access, even if the child does not have a smartphone. The system is designed to integrate with existing health systems and Digital Public Infrastructure using open standards.

What was hard

One of the biggest challenges was designing for inclusivity while maintaining privacy and security. We had to account for low digital literacy, limited device access, and varying healthcare workflows. Balancing simplicity for parents and clinics with strong data protection required careful design choices. Ensuring that the solution could scale nationally while remaining practical at the local clinic level was also a key challenge we worked to address.