The total population of Paraguay in 2020 was estimated to be approximately seven million people. An estimated 3,400 people developed TB. Among them, 260 were children. Moreover, there were also 1,037 missing people with TB, of which 137 were children.
In 2020, the Ministerio de Salud Publica (PNCT) procured a Delft Light portable backpack X-ray system and the CAD4TB artificial intelligence software, automatically detecting TB-related abnormalities on chest X-rays. Both solutions were procured to detect TB in the most remote areas of Paraguay.
In 2022, the Ministerio de Salud Publica procured yet another Delft Light portable backpack X-ray system, together with CAD4TB. The project also included training and installation services to support the roll-out and was implemented with the support of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
For more information about how the Delft Light portable X-ray and CAD4TB solutions are used in Paraguay, please view the story of ‘Prinose Project: The Inclusion of AI in the TB Screening in Prisons’, by Dr Luis Gomez Paciello (Pulmonologist and PhD Candidate) in Paraguay, as part of the 2023 Q2 Delft webinar. During the webinar, Dr Gomez Paciello noted that the Delft X-ray machine is very easy to transport and install. It doesn’t require a constant connection to an electrical network because, in prison, most prisons here (in Paraguay) don’t have stable internet and electricity … if you can, we suggest you get the CAD4TB box. We didn’t buy that, so we have to work with unstable internet in prison, leading to work delay.”
In 2024, celebrating World TB Day, PAHO TV featured a video highlighting CAD4TB and Delft Light.
Case Study
2022 – Prinose Project: The Inclusion of AI in the TB Screening in Prisons‘, by Dr Luis Gomez Paciello, Pulmonologist and PhD Candidate in Paraguay,
2023 – Innovation in Public Health: The Role of Artificial Intelligence in the Detection of Tuberculosis in Paraguay by Ms Angelica Medina, the Head of Monitoring and evaluation of the NTP, alongside being a Consultant for WHO/PAHO for Epidemiological Review Tuberculosis
