The Government is proposing additional 107 Cartridge Based Nucleic Acid Amplification Technique (CBNAAT) Test machines. 628 machines are deployed across the country for providing decentralised diagnostic services to both public and private sectors as per programme guidelines.
This test is fully automated and provides results within two hours about diagnosis of Tuberculosis and also provides information about the organism being resistant to Rifampicin, one of the key first line drugs.
Newer diagnostic tools such as Line Probe Assay and CBNAAT have been introduced for use in Revised National TB Control Programme (RNTCP). In addition, Indian Council of Medical Research is evaluating new technologies like True Nat for their utility and adoption by the National TB Control Programme.