AI technology applies to TB screening in Baitadi for first time

By Gokarna Dayal,Baitadi, Apr. 12: In a significant milestone for healthcare innovation in the Sudurpaschim region of Nepal, artificial intelligence (AI) has been utilised for the first time in the Baitadi district to screen for tuberculosis (TB). 

The AI-based screening has already identified nine suspected TB patients, four in Surnaya Rural Municipality, three in Purchaudi Municipality, and two inmates at the Baitadi District Prison.

According to Bipin Lekhak, the Information Officer at Baitadi District Health Office, a dedicated team of healthcare professionals has been mobilised with AI-enabled tools to conduct field visits in Surnaya Rural Municipality and Purchaudi Rural Municipality. 

“Artificial Intelligence is essentially a digital computer-assisted robotic system that scans chest X-rays to identify potential TB cases,” he explained. “This AI technology, currently available only at the Provincial Health Directorate, analyses radiographic images and flags possible TB infections,” said Lekhak.

Following initial identification by AI, sputum tests are conducted to confirm TB diagnoses, after which free treatment is initiated for the patients.

Manoj Ojha, the TB Leprosy Officer from the Provincial Health Directorate said that mobile health teams equipped with AI tools and trained professionals are actively screening individuals in remote areas of Baitadi and Bajhang districts. This initiative began on April 6 and is ongoing.

In Bajhang, where 105 patients are currently under treatment for TB, the screening drive has been intensified to detect additional cases. 

The health team has reached Thalara in Bajhang to identify and register undiagnosed patients. Though TB is curable with timely and consistent medication, data from the Baitadi Health Office shows that 11 people succumbed to the disease last year, and two more have died in the current fiscal year—bringing the total TB-related deaths to 13.

Tirtha Raj Bhatta, Chief of the Baitadi Health Office, said that the government has set an ambitious target to control TB by 2035 and eliminate it entirely by 2050. 

He acknowledged challenges in tracing seasonal migrant workers, particularly those who have travelled to India for employment, as they often fall outside the scope of local screening initiatives.

“We have urged individuals with symptoms to voluntarily seek medical attention,” said Bhatta. “Persistent coughing for more than two weeks, chest pain, difficulty breathing, unexplained weight loss, fatigue, coughing with or without blood, low-grade fever in the evening, and night sweats are typical symptoms of tuberculosis.”

Given TB’s highly contagious nature, Bhatt emphasised the significance of early detection—not just for individual recovery, but also for protecting families and communities from further transmission.