

Arunachal Pradesh
Bringing Specialist Care to the Hills with Telemedicine (Smart OPD), AI TB Screening & Cloud PACS
In Ziro and Tawang districts of Arunachal Pradesh, HMN piloted an integrated health stack combining MSTAR Smart OPD, AI-driven TB screening with a portable X-ray, and a cloud-based PACS. In just a few weeks, services were delivered from district hospitals (hubs) to health & wellness centres/PHCs (spokes) and through village camps—reaching remote communities where travel is difficult and costly.
Objectives
Provide doctor access without travel via virtual OPD.
Detect TB early using portable imaging + AI to reduce spread and improve outcomes.
Enable paperless, instant image sharing across departments with PACS for faster decisions.
Solution Deployed
MSTAR Smart OPD
ABHA/Patient ID creation (M3-compliant), longitudinal EMR, integrated point-of-care devices (vitals, ECG, fetal doppler), and in-call specialist addition. Prescriptions/referrals generated digitally; AI/ML analytics support administrators.
AI-Driven TB Screening with Portable X-ray
10.5 kg, battery-operated X-ray plus HMN’s AI models (TB, pneumonia, edema; lung/heart indicators). Screening run at facilities and via village camps/door-to-door; positive cases notified to district TB unit for diagnosis and treatment.
Cloud-based PACS
Integrated with existing X-ray/CT; role-based, remote access for radiologists and OPD doctors; advanced tools for annotation/reporting; training and 24×7 off-site support provided.
Implementation & Workflow
Hub–Spoke model: District hospitals (hubs) served HWC Hong (Ziro) and PHC Mukhto (Tawang) spokes; health camps extended reach to surrounding villages.
Standard protocol: Registration → device-based screening → nurse resolution or teleconsult → e-prescription/referral; X-rays screened by AI with TB flags routed to district TB team.
On-ground enablement: HMN implementation managers were stationed for 8 weeks to run services, train staff, and optimize adoption.
What Impact Did It Create?
Specialist access without travel: Elderly and low-income patients could consult doctors locally; virtual OPD reduced travel time/cost and enabled quicker care.
Earlier TB detection: ~15 potential TB cases flagged for confirmatory diagnosis and treatment—supporting national TB elimination goals.
Faster, paperless decisions: PACS let OPD doctors instantly view scans; cross-department sharing improved throughput and reduced film/CD costs.
At-a-Glance Results
Smart OPD coverage:
>250 patients across 10 villages served within ~3 weeks.
254 registrations/screenings; 188 handled by nurse at site; 68 escalated to doctors.
254 registrations/screenings; 188 handled by nurse at site; 68 escalated to doctors.
AI TB screening:
>300 people screened across villages/facilities; ~15 TB-suspected cases escalated to TB unit.
PACS in production:
X-ray/CT integrated; secure, role-based remote access; improved clinical collaboration and reduced turnaround.
Voices & Moments from the Field
District administration and health teams inaugurated and supported camps; services ran at HWC Hong and PHC Mukhto and in villages such as Hari, Bulla, Siiro, Hija, Reru-Kalung, Tajang, Lempia, among others. (Photos: ministerial visit, inaugurations, camps.)
What’s Next
Scale Smart OPD to additional PHCs/HWCs; expand TB screening and add screening for NCDs, vision, cancer risks, etc., with analytics for programme planning.
Extend PACS to more facilities and modalities; enable teleradiology networks for after-hours coverage.
Why HMN
A single, field-tested platform spanning Smart OPD, AI screening, and imaging workflows—backed by on-ground enablement, health analytics, and interoperable data flows—brings hospital-grade capability to the last mile, quickly and cost-effectively.
Call to Action

