Qure.ai Joins Hands with PATH India to Enhance Tuberculosis & COVID-19 Screening in Maharashtra

The collaboration, funded by Unitaid, focuses on using AI-powered qXR software to improve chest X-ray analysis, contributing to more effective screening for TB and COVID-19.

Mumbai-based Qure.ai, an artificial intelligence (AI) company has partnered with PATH India for a healthcare project to improve tuberculosis (TB) and COVID-19 screening in Maharashtra. 

The collaboration, funded by Unitaid, focuses on using AI-powered qXR software to improve chest X-ray analysis, contributing to more effective screening for TB and COVID-19.

The software is hosted on a cloud-based platform, ensuring seamless connectivity between different locations.

Before receiving the Unitaid grant, the Mumbai-based startup Qure.ai had already deployed its qXR software in seven Brihanmumbai Mahanagar Pallika Hospitals. 

Here, it screened over 90,000 patients for tuberculosis and other chest abnormalities. Remarkably, this implementation resulted in a 35% increase in TB notifications. 

This success is attributed to the software's ability to identify patients who initially sought medical care unrelated to TB, thereby uncovering incidental findings through the non-tuberculosis pathway.

Under the Unitaid-funded project, qXR will be implemented in four key medical facilities across Maharashtra within a 12-month period. These facilities include Dr. Zakir Hussain Hospital in Kathada and Hindu Hriday Samrat Balasaheb Thackrey Rugnalaya, both under the Nashik Municipal Corporation, as well as K.B Bhabha Hospital in Bandra, falling under the jurisdiction of the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai.

As part of this project, patients will undergo AI-enabled chest X-ray screening for tuberculosis within the standard hospital workflow. 

Patients will begin their journey at the outpatient department (OPD), where an OPD doctor will conduct initial screenings. If necessary, an X-ray technician will perform a chest X-ray for patients suspected of having TB or chest infections. 

Those suspected of TB based on X-ray results will be directed to the TB counter for sputum collection, followed by CB-NAAT testing or AFB microscopy, ultimately leading to the initiation of treatment.

Established in 2016 by Prashant Warier, the company has become a global leader in medical artificial intelligence. It operates across more than 70 countries, from its headquarters in India and offices in London and New York. 

Recently, Qure.ai has received FDA 510(k) clearance for its qXR chest x-ray solution. This clearance is for its ability to triage critical conditions like pneumothorax (PTX) and pleural effusion (PE), which are particularly challenging in emergency medical scenarios.