With a population of roughly 105.8 million in 2023, the Democratic Republic of the Congo faced one of the highest TB burdens globally. Approximately 334,000 individuals developed tuberculosis, and 43,000 died from the disease. An estimated 75,931 cases remained undetected or unreported.
In 2017, we delivered a digital X-ray system with CAD4TB to the IDA Foundation. Later, in 2021, as part of the iNTP project (funded by USAID, supported by the Stop TB Partnership), we supplied 8 Delft Lights equipped with CAD4TB to the Programme National de Lutte contre la Tuberculose. These systems were deployed across four provinces: Kinshasa, Kasaï-Oriental, Haut-Katanga, and Lualaba. These systems have significantly improved TB screening by consistently providing accurate X-ray interpretations, especially in remote areas. You can read more about them in the 2024
Making a Difference
Research paper
In 2024, the Stop TB Partnership report highlighted the implementation of Delft Light and CAD4TB software in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to improve TB detection. These systems have significantly improved TB screening by consistently providing accurate X-ray interpretations, especially in remote areas. The project, supported by USAID and the Stop TB Partnership, has led to deploying these systems across four provinces in DRC, namely Kinshasa, Kasaï-Oriental, Haut-Katanga and Lualaba. As of June 2023, the initiative had screened over 11,000 individuals, identifying over 4,250 with abnormal chest X-rays and diagnosing 2,302 with TB.
Webinar insights
During the Delft Imaging webinar “The Real-World Impact on TB Programs: Digital X-rays & CAD in Action,” Dr. Jean Pierre Kabuayi, Expert in TB Epidemiological Surveillance, Ministry of Public Health, Hygiene, and Prevention highlighted how the Democratic Republic of Congo is improving TB detection using ultra-portable digital X-ray systems integrated with CAD4TB. Through the “Introducing New Tools Project” (iNTP), eight health districts implemented Delft Light units, with centralized training for radiology technicians in Kinshasa. Between July and December 2022, over 5,300 X-rays were performed, with nearly 2,000 flagged for high TB likelihood. “This tool also helped us as a mobile strategy when we did our campaigns in prisons,” said Dr. Kabuayi. These innovations are now part of the country’s efforts to close screening gaps and strengthen its TB response.
