India-made TB diagnostics tech wins acclaim at World Health Assembly

• Truenat platform that was developed in India, has been hailed for its role in combating TB and as a possible component of global healthcare solutions.

Highlights:

• Truenat was first launched in 2017 and is a real-time quantitative micro-PCR system.
• It is a portable, battery-operated machine that can be deployed at labs, health centers, and in the field.
• Truenat delivers results from samples in less than an hour and can test for over 40 diseases.
• Countries that have begun to use Truenat have all reported significant improvements in case detection
• TrueNat is used at over 7,000 primary health centers and community health centers under the National TB Elimination Programme and is also being used at roughly 1,500 private labs in the country.
• At the World Health Assembly (the decision-making body of the WHO), The Global Fund, which collaborates, appreciated India’s commitment to eliminating TB by creating mass awareness, and intensive monitoring programmes using digital technologies.
• Early diagnosis and treatment are crucial to combating TB, which kills an estimated 480,000 Indians every year, or over 1,400 patients every day.
• The WHO reports over 10 million new cases of TB every year, and India alone accounts for 27% of the global TB burden.

Prelims Takeaway

• TrueNat
• WHA