A new handheld X-ray device developed for screening TB, enhances early detection and treatment efforts, ultimately improving public health outcomes.
Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) Director General Dr Rajiv Bahl spoke about new projects and achievements in public health and highlighted a significant advancement in tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis: a new handheld X-ray device developed for screening TB, enhancing early detection and treatment efforts, ultimately improving public health outcomes.
Speaking at the 19th International Conference of Drug Regulatory Authorities (ICDRA) INDIA-2024 on Wednesday, ICMR DG Dr Bahl said, “The handheld X-rays are available at a very high cost and now the IIT Kanpur in partnership with ICMR has developed a handheld X-ray indigenously which will be less than half the cost of what the cost of imported handheld X-rays are. This will make sure we can have screening for TB near the homes of patients and even the vulnerable population.”
Dr Bahl further said that India has developed three testing kits for Mpox as well. “We have developed three testing kits for Mpox and there are three companies who are manufacturing such kits,” he said.
Over a million people are affected in India with sickle cell disease, which is the second largest in the World, last year Prime Minister Narendra Modi also launched the National Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission to eliminate sickle cell disease as a public health problem by 2047.
ICMR is constantly working on this and recently they have conducted a brainstorming session with doctors and scientists all over the country at the New Delhi Head office.