Chandigarh: Looking to reduce the burden of tuberculosis (TUBERCULOSIS), Punjab everything is ready to use artificial intelligence (AI) tools for timely diagnosis and disease treatment in government Medical centers.
The health department will leverage technology to analyze chest x-ray images and generate reports, assisting physicians in early diagnosis and initiating treatment.
With the central government setting a target to reduce the incidence of new TB cases by 80 percent by 2025, timely diagnosis and treatment are crucial in controlling the spread of the disease. The delay in diagnosis not only worsens the disease, but also increases its transmission. The disease is caused by a bacterium (mycobacterium tuberculosis) which most commonly affects the lungs and is preventable and curable. It spreads from person to person through the air. Several studies have indicated that AI tools are capable of detecting TB on chest X-rays at a level comparable to that of radiologists. As Punjab has limited radiology resources, the introduction of this computer-aided detection technology is expected to benefit the health department by expanding screening coverage.
For starters, the health department intends to roll out the technology in 10 districts on a pilot basis. The system will be installed in hospitals that witness good patient traffic and are equipped with X-ray machines. Preference will be given to health centers that lack radiologists.
Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are some of the states that have already introduced the technology.
With the efforts of the state government, the incidence rate of the disease has been reduced in recent years. according to the latest Report on tuberculosis in India 2023, Punjab’s case notification rate for 2022 was recorded at 181, which was lower than the rate of 211 and 250 in Himachal Pradesh and Haryana respectively.
Of the 52,253 TB cases reported up to 2021, 1,407 were cured and 1,319 were lost to follow-up. Of the total, 1,219 patients died.
