Source: News on Air
Context:
The Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) has rolled out India’s first artificial intelligence-enabled community screening programme for Diabetic Retinopathy, aimed at transforming early detection and prevention of diabetes-related blindness at scale.
What is the initiative?
A nation-first AI-powered screening system designed to detect and grade Diabetic Retinopathy at the community level.
Developed through a collaboration between:
- Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS)
- Dr. Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences (RPC), AIIMS
- eHealth AI Unit, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare
Powered by the AI platform MadhuNetrAI.
Aim of the programme
- Enable early, accurate identification of diabetic eye disease.
- Ensure timely referrals for treatment and vision protection.
- Build real-time, national-level health intelligence on disease patterns and geography.
- Reduce the incidence of preventable blindness caused by diabetes.
Key Features
- AI-based scanning and grading of retinal images.
- Retinal photographs captured through handheld fundus cameras.
- Screening conducted by trained Medical Officers, nurses and health assistants.
- Automated triaging to identify vision-threatening DR cases.
- Direct digital referral to retina specialists for advanced care.
- Real-time dashboard mapping DR prevalence for policy and resource planning.
- Supports integration with NCD (non-communicable disease) programmes for continuity of care.
