AIIMS Bhubaneswar Conclave Stresses AI, Advanced Diagnostics to Accelerate TB Elimination

Bhubaneswar: Experts at a two-day National Conclave and Policy Dialogue on Tuberculosis have stressed that expanding Universal Drug Susceptibility Testing (UDST), ensuring early detection of drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB), and adopting advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI), molecular diagnostics, targeted next-generation sequencing (tNGS), and digital health systems are crucial for achieving India’s goal of a TB-free nation.

The conclave, organised by AIIMS Bhubaneswar in collaboration with the Policy Resilience Foundation (PRF), brought together policymakers, clinicians, scientists, researchers, public health experts and programme officials to discuss practical strategies for strengthening tuberculosis prevention, diagnosis, treatment and programme implementation, with a special focus on Odisha.

Speaking at the inaugural session, Dr. Digambar Behera, President of the National Academy of Medical Sciences (NAMS), said India continues to carry the world’s highest tuberculosis burden, making early diagnosis and timely identification of drug-resistant TB a major priority. He noted that existing diagnostic tools often fall short in accurately detecting drug resistance, making it difficult to determine the most effective treatment. According to him, wider adoption of advanced diagnostic technologies before initiating treatment would help doctors prescribe appropriate drug regimens, improve patient outcomes and strengthen the country’s TB control programme.

AIIMS Bhubaneswar Executive Director and CEO Dr. Ashutosh Biswas highlighted the institution’s commitment to supporting the national TB elimination mission through research, innovation, policy support and capacity building. He said the policy dialogue would help identify grassroots challenges and develop practical solutions to improve diagnosis, treatment delivery and patient care.

The discussions during the conclave are centred on addressing challenges faced in remote, tribal and other vulnerable regions of Odisha. Participants are examining issues related to patient identification, sample collection, laboratory testing, reporting systems, treatment initiation, follow-up and monitoring to improve the effectiveness of tuberculosis programmes.

Nandish R. Pethani, Founder of the Policy Resilience Foundation, said the deliberations are focused on reducing diagnostic delays, strengthening sample transportation systems, improving reporting mechanisms, ensuring timely treatment initiation and enhancing patient follow-up to achieve better health outcomes.

The conclave also highlighted India’s progress in combating tuberculosis. Data presented during the inaugural session showed that annual TB cases declined by 21 per cent between 2015 and 2024, while TB-related deaths dropped by 28 per cent during the same period.

Officials further informed that under the TB-Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, over 20 crore vulnerable people have been screened for tuberculosis since December 7, 2024. India’s AI-driven TB programme is also using artificial intelligence for cough screening, chest X-ray interpretation and predictive analytics to identify high-risk individuals, contributing to the detection of more than 28 lakh tuberculosis patients.

Among those present at the inaugural session were AIIMS Bhubaneswar Medical Superintendent Dr. Prabhas Ranjan Tripathy, Organising Chairman and Head of the Department of Pulmonary Medicine & Critical Care Dr. Prasanta Raghab Mohapatra, and Organising Secretary Dr. Sourin Bhuniya.