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Maharashtra to install 300 advanced machines for faster TB diagnosis
The machines will be installed at primary health centres, rural hospitals and district-level facilities under the National TB Elimination Programme over 21 months
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Maharashtra will install 300 advanced Truenat Quattro machines across the state to speed up tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis, including drug-resistant cases, under a ₹41.92-crore project, officials said on Wednesday.
The machines will be installed at primary health centres, rural hospitals and district-level facilities under the National TB Elimination Programme over 21 months. A tripartite memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed between BPCL Foundation, HITES-HLL Infra Tech Services Ltd, the implementing agency, and the joint director of health services (TB and leprosy).
Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said the initiative would extend modern diagnostic facilities to remote areas. Approved by the World Health Organisation (WHO), the portable, battery-operated machines can detect TB and rifampicin-resistant TB in about an hour, even in areas with limited infrastructure.
Health workers will receive specialised training to operate the machines, whose functioning will be digitally monitored through the Nikshay platform.
The project is expected to enable 9.36 lakh tests annually, helping identify an estimated 1.12 lakh TB patients and 4,680 patients with rifampicin-resistant TB each year. Faster diagnosis could also reduce treatment delays and curb transmission.
Public health minister Prakash Abitkar said the state’s efforts to attract corporate social responsibility (CSR) funding had helped bring partners such as BPCL Foundation into the TB elimination programme.
“Truenat machines will enable faster TB diagnosis even in the remotest villages. We are confident that the combined efforts of the government, industry and society will help achieve the vision of a TB-free Maharashtra,” Abitkar said.
