Fujifilm India, which provides diagnostic imaging and information systems for healthcare facilities, has launched the second phase of its campaign on TB — ‘Never Stop: Screening To Reduce Diagnostic Delays’.
The second phase of the campaign aims to increase awareness of TB as a curable disease and promote screening and early diagnosis among tea sector workers, the difficult-to-reach population in rural and urban areas, including the tribal population in selected districts of Gujarat, Kerala, and, Assam. As part of the campaign, Fujifilm India will support three mobile handheld X-ray machines and the implementation of projects in community settings.
Fujifilm aims to reach more than five million people and screen around 30,000 of them by using handheld X-ray machines. The project will facilitate TB testing of identified presumptive cases. In association with the International Union Against TB and Lung Disease (The Union), the project aims to demonstrate a model for promoting early diagnosis by utilizing newer solutions in community settings.
Through the campaign, Fujifilm will organize a door-to-door awareness on TB and provide mobile digital X-ray services along with Qure.ai’s computed-aided radiology software application designed with deep-learning for the intervention.
The proposed districts in this phase are Sonitpur, Golaghat, Jorhat, Sivasagar, Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, in Assam, Wayanad in Kerala, and Kutch district in Gujarat starting September 2022 and conclude by August 2023.
In the first phase, Fujifilm India screened over one million people and shared around 8,000 X-ray reports. Through the intervention, 117 new TB patients were identified across 27 cities including Delhi, Dadri, Dehradun, Haridwar, Haldwani, Rudrapur, Patna, Jaipur, Indore, Kolkata, Raipur, and Pata.
Koji Wada, managing director, Fujifilm India, said, “We at Fujifilm have always been dedicated to offering the best medical innovations and technologies to improve the quality of life around the globe. Following the success of the first phase of our Never Stop: Screening To Reduce Diagnostic Delays campaign, we are extremely happy to complement government programs in selected districts by reaching the underserved sections of society. As a diamond member of the corporate TB Pledge initiative, we’re closely working with the national program to make India a TB-free country and will continue to support this endeavor in the coming months. We are determined to never stop innovating and making the world a healthier place.”
Fujifilm is a diamond member of the corporate TB Pledge, which is being implemented by the International Union Against TB and Lung Disease as part of the Usaid-supported iDefeat TB project. The corporate TB Pledge initiative was jointly launched in 2019 by the government of India and Usaid to galvanize corporate support in the fight against TB. More than 230 corporate partners have joined the initiative.
