Google.org has provided Froncort.AI, a Pune-based healthcare AI company, with US$2.3 million to develop mAI-NETRA, an offline-first app that helps frontline health workers screen for infectious diseases.

Froncort.AI is one of 15 recipients of Google.org’s Impact Challenge: AI for Government Innovation.

The company said a study with Maharashtra’s state tuberculosis program found that AI-guided teams detected a similar number of confirmed pulmonary tuberculosis cases while screening two-thirds fewer people than teams using routine methods.

The cost per confirmed case also fell by about two-thirds.

Separately, 92% of frontline participants reported lower workloads.

The funding will support mAI-NETRA’s development and expand the platform from tuberculosis to six diseases, including malaria and dengue.

The planned rollout comes as India faces a high tuberculosis burden.

The country’s tuberculosis efforts use digital strategies to reach underserved populations, while implementation research shows AI chest X-ray tools being integrated into tuberculosis screening workflows.

🔗 Source: Google.org