Swaasa AI enables early TB detection in rural AP

Visakhapatnam: Swaasa, an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered respiratory health screening platform, has demonstrated real-world impact in enabling early detection of tuberculosis and other respiratory diseases through a community-based pilot in Andhra Pradesh. Nearly 8,000 individuals from vulnerable communities were screened using the AI-based tool in East Godavari over six weeks. Interestingly, around 36% of tuberculosis cases identified were asymptomatic, allowing for earlier detection and timely intervention. The platform also demonstrated a high diagnostic yield of approximately 30%, surpassing the effectiveness of conventional symptom-based active case-finding methods.Implemented under the MedTech Innovation Challenge 2025, in collaboration with the Andhra Pradesh government and the Ratan Tata Innovation Hub, the deployment was carried out across various primary health centres in East Godavari.Swaasa, developed by Salcit Technologies, is a clinically validated, AI-powered respiratory health assessment platform that analyses cough sounds using a smartphone to screen for conditions such as TB, COPD, and asthma. Out of nearly 300 applicants for the MedTech Challenge organised by RTIH, the company was among 18 shortlisted and subsequently completed the pilot project.According to officials, the pilot demonstrated how this technology can be seamlessly integrated into existing public health workflows. In the first step, auxiliary nurse midwives conducted door-to-door screening using smartphones, guiding individuals to record cough samples for instant AI-based risk assessment. High-risk cases were then referred for confirmatory testing (NAAT, chest X-ray, spirometry). Medical officers then ensured follow-up, diagnosis, and treatment linkage.Narayana Rao, founder and CTO of Salcit Technologies, said their vision is to make respiratory health screening accessible to all. "This pilot shows how a simple cough, captured on a smartphone, can help identify serious conditions such as TB at an early stage, even before symptoms appear. By empowering frontline health workers with AI, we can bridge critical gaps in public health systems and enable timely, life-saving interventions at scale," said Rao.Former principal of Andhra Medical College, Dr PV Sudhakar, said the platform represents a significant breakthrough in identifying respiratory illnesses, particularly TB and COPD. "Validated at AMC, Visakhapatnam, I believe it will have a far-reaching impact on public healthcare in the country, especially in remote and rural areas," said Dr Sudhakar.Venkat Yechuri, CEO of Salcit, said the AI tool, which analyses a 10-second forced cough sample, showed higher detection rates than the existing ACF method. "Notably, it was able to identify TB cases even among individuals who did not exhibit visible symptoms. Beyond TB, the same cough-based technology was also used to screen for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, effectively enabling multi-disease detection through a single test. The pilot was supported by a partnership with a multinational pharmaceutical company, which provided diagnostic equipment for follow-up tests. The technology was earlier tested for the Covid detection," said Venkat.