Chandigarh: Eyeing to reduce the burden of tuberculosis (TB), Punjab is all set to use artificial intelligence (AI) tools for timely diagnosis and treatment of the disease in government healthcare facilities.
The health department will be leveraging the technology for analysing chest X-ray images and generating reports, aiding doctors in early diagnosis and initiating treatment.
With the central government setting a target to reduce the incidence of new TB cases by 80 per cent by 2025, timely diagnosis and treatment are crucial in controlling the spread of the disease. Delay in diagnosis not only worsens the disease, but also increases its transmission. The disease is caused by bacteria (mycobacterium tuberculosis) that most often affects the lungs and is preventable and curable. It spreads from person to person through air. Various studies have indicated that AI tools are capable of detecting TB in chest X-rays at a level comparable to radiologists. As Punjab has limited radiologist resources, the introduction of this computer-aided detection technology is expected to benefit the health department by expanding the coverage of screening.
To begin with, the health department intends to implement the technology in 10 districts on a pilot basis. The system will be installed in hospitals that witness good patient footfall and are equipped with X-ray machines. Preference will be given to health centres that lack radiologists.
Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu are some of the states which have already introduced the technology.
With the state government putting in the efforts, the incidence rate of the disease has come down in recent years. As per the latest India TB Report 2023, PunjabтАЩs 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.
Out of 52,253 TB cases notified till 2021, 1,407 were cured while 1,319 were lost in the follow-up. Of the total, 1,219 patients died.
