Bhubaneswar: Strengthening Universal Drug Susceptibility Testing (UDST), improving early identification of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB), enhancing patient pathways, and leveraging innovations in molecular diagnostics, genotypic testing, targeted next-generation sequencing (tNGS), digital health systems, artificial intelligence (AI) and real-time monitoring are critical to achieving India’s goal of eliminating tuberculosis, experts observed at the two-day National Conclave & Policy Dialogue on Tuberculosis organised by AIIMS Bhubaneswar in collaboration with the Policy Resilience Foundation (PRF).
The conclave, inaugurated today, has brought together policymakers, scientists, clinicians, programme officers, researchers, development partners and public health decision-makers to deliberate on actionable strategies for strengthening TB prevention, diagnosis, treatment and programme implementation in Odisha while contributing to the national TB-Mukt Bharat mission.
Inaugurating the conclave, Dr. Digambar Behera, President of the National Academy of Medical Sciences (NAMS) and a renowned respiratory medicine expert, highlighted the challenges associated with early detection of tuberculosis and drug-resistant TB. India continues to bear the highest burden of tuberculosis globally.
However, accurately identifying drug-resistant TB and determining the most effective drug regimen remain significant challenges. Existing technologies are often inadequate for precise diagnosis, said Dr. Behera. The successful adoption of advanced diagnostic technologies before treatment initiation will enable clinicians to prescribe appropriate drugs, improve treatment outcomes and significantly strengthen TB control efforts, added Dr. Behera.
Addressing the gathering, Dr. Ashutosh Biswas, Executive Director & CEO, AIIMS Bhubaneswar, underscored the importance of collaborative efforts in eliminating tuberculosis. AIIMS Bhubaneswar is committed to supporting the efforts through research, innovation, capacity building and policy support. This dialogue will help identify ground-level challenges and explore practical solutions to strengthen diagnosis, treatment delivery and patient outcomes, said Dr. Biswas.
The conclave is focused on identifying field-level challenges affecting TB elimination in remote, tribal, vulnerable and hard-to-reach communities of Odisha. Discussions are examining gaps in patient identification, sample collection, laboratory testing, reporting, treatment initiation, follow-up and outcome monitoring.
Speaking on the objectives of the conclave, Nandish R. Pethani, Founder, Policy Resilience Foundation (PRF), said the deliberations would specifically address diagnostic delays, sample transportation, reporting gaps, treatment initiation delays and patient follow-up challenges to strengthen programme implementation and improve health outcomes.
The conclave also highlighted India’s significant progress in tuberculosis control. According to data presented during the inaugural session, annual TB cases declined by 21 per cent between 2015 and 2024, while TB-related mortality decreased by 28 per cent during the same period.
Under the TB-Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, more than 20 crore vulnerable individuals have been screened for tuberculosis since December 7, 2024. India’s AI-enabled TB programme is also leveraging artificial intelligence for cough screening, AI-assisted interpretation of chest X-rays and predictive analytics to identify high-risk individuals, leading to the diagnosis of more than 28 lakh TB patients through the initiative.
Among those present during the inaugural session were Dr. Prabhas Ranjan Tripathy, Medical Superintendent, AIIMS Bhubaneswar; Dr. Prasanta Raghab Mohapatra, Organising Chairman and Head, Department of Pulmonary Medicine & Critical Care; and Dr. Sourin Bhuniya, Organising Secretary.
