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Leveraging Collective Impact

The India Health Fund (IHF), a collaborative initiative led by the Tata Trusts, endeavors to leverage the power of collective impact to eliminate Tuberculosis (TB) by 2025 and malaria by 2030 from India. IHF collaborates with donors and investors to share investment decisions to support strategic projects and solutions aimed at the elimination of TB and malaria. It provides the platform to raise resources and channel the same towards supporting breakthrough innovations, which will help accelerate the removal of these infectious diseases. IHF has a formal engagement with the Central TB Division, The Global Fund, Indian Council of Medical Research, India TB Research Consortium, STOP TB Partnership, National Institute of Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases and other similar organizations.

Intervention

IHF has lent its constant support to the Centre for Health Research and Innovations (CHRI) and Molbio Diagnostics – TrueNat, an ICMR approved battery-operated portable tool for rapid and accurate point of care diagnosis of TB. IHF has been involved with Qure.ai, which has a smart phone-based Chest X-Ray Tuberculosis Triage for Analog X-Rays and a web-based solution for Digital X-rays which are a first of its kind in India. The main aim is to reduce delays in the diagnosis of Tuberculosis among patients in underserved areas.

Sensedose Technologies has collaborated with IHF for Tuberculosis Monitoring and Evaluation Adherence Device (TMEAD), which is an innovative device to provide a solution for drug adherence and follow-up of patients. By deploying this innovation in Nashik and Nagpur in the future, it will help to demonstrate the adherence and completion of treatment by patients and reduce the spread of infection.

Similarly, Valetude Primus Healthcare Pvt. Ltd is aiming to use safe sample collection & patented immuno-magnetic cell capture technology to enable faster diagnosis of TB at community level without the help of skilled technicians. Sputum samples will be directly collected in capture bottles, thereby protecting the healthcare worker from unnecessary exposure to infection. IHF is supporting the pilot clinical investigations in partnership with Jamia Hamdard University and Safdarjung hospital in New Delhi that will commence shortly.

Impact

IHF’s support for the development of technologies & facilitating the implementation of their solutions at scale ensures maximizing their impact. This, in turn provides scale-able innovative solutions to the challenges of TB management. With the support of IHF

  • Protocol for processes of TrueNat is being developed in 5 sub-districts in UP in partnership with CHRI
  • Screening of 100,000 analogue X-rays are being undertaken in 5 highly endemic aspirational districts in UP, Rajasthan and Maharashtra
  • The validation of the TMEAD pilot is underway

The success of these initiatives will reduce delays in diagnosis of Tuberculosis among patients in underserved areas. It will enable faster access to the Public Health System. The platforms actively used for addressing TB screening and diagnosis are also being adapted to focus on multi-disease platforms for future to fight infections like the novel coronavirus.