When AI serves the underserved by bridging access gaps and linkage to health services
SHOBHA SHUKLA - CNS
If one assumes that artificial intelligence (AI) is for the 'haves' and not 'have-nots,' then let us dive deeper into how AI is helping reach the unreached populations with state-of-the-art public health services. Not just Global North, but several countries of the Global South too are shattering this stereotype of 'AI for the rich and mighty' by deploying AI to serve the most underserved communities and helping overcome access barriers. This becomes even more important when such person-centred AI tools comes from Global South innovators like DeepTek.
Before the largest TB and lung disease conference opens this year (Asia Pacific Regional Conference of the International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease or APRC 2026), let us dive deeper in how AI has been deployed in the region as well as globally to serve the underserved.
Unless we prevent all TB infection, find all those with TB disease and link them to treatment, care and support pathway, the #endTB goal would remain elusive. When we miss TB cases, TB infection spreads, people suffer.
Finding TB early and accurately has been a formidable challenge till recently. Due to access barriers faced by those who are at higher TB risk as well as bad diagnostic tests like microscopy (which missed half or more of TB among those who took a TB test), we were (and are) failing to find all TB. Unless we find all TB, we cannot stop the spread of infection (because soon after initiation of right treatment, lung TB stops spreading) and reduce avoidable human suffering and untimely deaths.
Only 58 months left to end TB: Keep the promise!
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