Last week, the ‘India Innovation Summit- Pioneering solutions to End TB’ was held at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi.
The Summit, inaugurated by Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Smt. Anupriya Patel, brought together more than 1,400 key stakeholders from various sectors to accelerate the progress toward ending TB in India through innovative solutions and technologies.
A key focus of this pivotal event (18-19 March) was to identify innovations with potential for large-scale implementation and link them with Government initiatives for further development.
The Summit reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to end TB, leveraging scientific advancements and community-driven efforts to accelerate progress toward this ambitious goal.
The two-day event offered a unique platform to showcase 238 innovations in TB elimination and created opportunities to fast track integration of proven innovations and technologies into practice by bringing all the key players together – regulators, policy makers, National TB Programme leads and TB experts.
The 20 scientific sessions delivered by 150 panellists also highlighted the gaps and challenges where more innovations are needed.
An experiential exhibition walkway was created to display the home-grown innovations, including:
- Handheld X-ray devices
- Molecular diagnostic tests
- Low cost TB RT-PCR kits that may be run on generic systems
- Tests on non-sputum based samples such blood, stool, breath and urine
- Drone based logistics for samples and drugs
- Targeted gene sequencing (t-NGS) for diagnosis of Drug Resistance
Nidhi Bansal, Country Director for The Union India Office, stated: “We are delighted that the Summit has served as a catalyst for supporting the scaling and implementation of these innovative solutions into the fight against TB in India and across the world.”
The Summit was jointly organised by the Department of Health Research and Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), in collaboration with the Central TB Division, The Union and the Gates Foundation.
Key dignitaries included: Dr VK Paul, member of the National Institution for Transforming India – NITI Aayog, Dr Rajiv Bahl, Director General of the ICMR, Dr Soumya Swaminathan, former WHO chief scientist, Dr Trevor Mundel, President of Global Health at the Gates Foundation, Dr Roderico H. Ofrin, WHO Representative to India, and Prof Guy Marks, President of The Union.