Chennai: Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital in association with the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras (IIT-M) is developing an artificial intelligence-based software to help technicians red flag renal calculi (kidney stones) or identify malignant tumours in breasts, Tamil Nadu health minister Ma Subramanian said on Friday.
The radiology department of the medical college hospital was on Friday upgraded to the Institute of Radiodiagnosis – the second such institute in the state after Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital.
“The institute will have infrastructure and experts for doing high-tech treatment and diagnosis. It will also be a centre of excellence for education and research,” Subramanian said.
The institute, which has published 38 research papers in national and international peer-reviewed journals, offers unique diagnosis methods for infertility and cancers, reducing the chances of misdiagnosis. The cost of diagnosis for certain tests such as iron content in the liver is Rs 2,500 compared to Rs 25,000 in private centres.
“Interim results of the kidney stone software we are developing are showing promising results,” said senior radiologist Dr J Devi Meenal. “This new AI software works like a triaging system and is useful in smaller towns and centres. So far, technicians have been able to identify kidney stones without missing them. Once it’s red-flagged, it will be a top priority and confirmed by doctors online,” she said.
The health minister inaugurated an inquiry and complaints centre in the hospital. A coordinator will be in the reception to handle the queries and complaints from patients, attendees, and visitors. Every state-run medical college hospital and district headquarters hospital would have similar centres, he said. By April, the state would open a Rs 128crore building constructed in the hospital with funds from JICA, Subramanian said.
The state will urge the Centre to permit six more medical colleges – one each in Perambalur, Mayiladuthurai, Tirupathur, Ranipet, Kancheepuram and Tenkasi districts. It will also seek permission to start a nursing college in every district.
Subramanian and a team of officials will meet Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya in Delhi and press for the completion of construction work on AIIMS, Madurai. “We will also meet AYUSH minister Sarbananda Sonowal to upgrade Ayurveda, Unani and Siddha colleges in the state,” he said.