Prayagraj,

17 Dec (HS): Wg Cdr Debartho Dhar, Regional PRO & Spokesperson Ministry of

Defence, Prayagraj Region informed on Wednesday that the Armed Forces Medical

Services (AFMS), in collaboration with the Dr. Rajendra Prasad Centre for

Ophthalmic Sciences (RPC), AIIMS, and the eHealth AI Unit of the Ministry of

Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW), has launched India’s first Artificial Intelligence

(AI)–driven community screening programme for Diabetic Retinopathy (DR) in New

Delhi. The initiative marks a significant step towards strengthening early

detection of diabetic eye disease and building a real-time national health intelligence

framework.

The

programme was inaugurated at Army Hospital (Research & Referral), New

Delhi, by Director General Armed Forces Medical Services Surgeon Vice Admiral

Arti Sarin along with Chief, Dr. Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences

Prof Radhika Tandon. The collaboration brings together the clinical reach of

AFMS, academic leadership of AIIMS and digital innovation capabilities of MoHFW

to address a major public health challenge.

Anchored

by MadhuNetrAI, the programme is a web-based Artificial Intelligence tool

developed by the Dr. Rajendra Prasad Centre for Ophthalmic Sciences (RPC). The

platform facilitates automated screening, grading and triaging of retinal

images captured using handheld fundus cameras, enabling trained Medical Officers,

Nursing Staff and healthcare assistants to undertake community-level screening.

The system also generates real-time data on disease prevalence and geographic

distribution to support evidence-based planning and policy formulation.

As

part of the pilot phase, the Armed Forces Medical Services (AFMS) will

implement the initiative at seven locations—Pune, Mumbai, Bengaluru,

Dharamshala, Gaya, Jorhat and Kochi—covering metropolitan, rural, hilly,

coastal and remote regions. Personnel from each site will undergo intensive

training at RPC, AIIMS, followed by large-scale community screening.

Patients

identified with Diabetic Retinopathy will be referred for optimal diabetic

management, while cases of vision-threatening Diabetic Retinopathy will be

referred to vitreo-retina specialists at designated District Hospitals.

District Health Administrations will coordinate referral mechanisms and

integrate DR management within existing non-communicable disease programmes to

ensure continuity of care.

A

Compendium detailing the methodology and operational guidelines of the

programme was released at the launch. The contribution of HOD & Consultant

Ophthalmology, Army Hospital (R&R) Brig S K Mishra, in establishing the

collaboration was acknowledged. The initiative is envisaged as a scalable and

replicable model, demonstrating effective integration of AI-enabled solutions

into public health systems through the combined efforts of AFMS, AIIMS and the

Ministry of Health & Family Welfare.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi