Mind, body and AI

When Rahul Kumar, a daily-wage earner from Patna, got his chest X-ray done after months of coughing, a doctor told him he was suffering from tuberculosis (TB). But when he sought a second opinion, he was told he was fine. "I was asked to get more scans done, but I don't have the money or time to run around for multiple tests," says Kumar, 31. Kumar is one of a large demographic of TB patients in India in whom the disease either goes undetected, or who simply drop off the long and expensive treatment cycle. This, in turn, leads to a greater spread of the disease -- and the possibility of mutated, drug-resistant versions.