With an aim to minimise the number of TB cases in Assam by 2025, the State TB Cell, Assam jointly with the Indian Institute of Technology, Guwahati (IIT-G) and Embedded Interaction Lab (EILab) created a digital platform for health administrator, medical officers and health workers to track and monitor TB patients till the end of treatment in real time.
In a programme organised by the State TB Cell, Assam in collaboration with the IIT-G in Guwahati, Dr Rathin Bhuyan, Director, Health Services, Assam inaugurated ‘Swasthyaa’ , a technology platform supported through a software interface for health administrator, medical officers and health workers to track or monitor TB patients in real time.
As per Government report, Assam has recorded 19,675 TB cases detected in 2018 till date while 37,300 TB cases were detected in 2017.
Talking about the ‘Swasthyaa’, Dr Bhuyan said, “Swasthyaa is an initiative to make the State TB-free by 2025. As soon as a TB patient is detected after consulting a doctor at any Government hospital or health centre, his or her record will be updated in the system. After that, the patient would receive an auto-generated reminder call on every scheduled date for DOTS and medicines until the course is finished.”
Besides, Nayan Jyoti Das, the Joint Director of Health Services and the State officer for India’s TB Control Programme, while talking to media persons, said, “We have selected Nalbari and Kamrup (Metro) districts initially for the project. Later on, we will cover the entire State through ‘Swasthyaa’.”
Stressing quality education and awareness campaign especially in the rural areas, Das said, “Swasthyaa is not the final solution to eradicate TB from the State. But it would definitely help in minimising TB cases.”
