Treatment made easier for tuberculosis patients
2
MINS READ
- Overview Press tab for submenu items
TCS is here to make a difference through technology.
Leading the way in innovation for over 55 years, we build greater futures for businesses across multiple industries and 55 countries.
-
Industries
-
Services
-
Products and Platforms
- Overview Press tab for submenu items
We deliver excellence and create value for customers and communities.
Our expert, committed team put our shared values into action – every day. With the best talent and the latest technology we help customers turn complexity into opportunities and create meaningful change.
-
About Us
-
Research & Innovation
-
Our Brand
- Overview Press tab for submenu items
Extraordinary expertise leads to remarkable results.
We share news, insights, analysis and research – tailored to your unique interests – to help you deepen your knowledge and impact.
-
Customer Stories
-
Perspectives
-
Global studies
-
Topics
- Overview Press tab for submenu items
Want to be a global change-maker? Join our team.
At TCS, we believe exceptional work begins with hiring, celebrating and nurturing the best people — from all walks of life.
-
India
-
Americas
-
Asia Pacific
-
Europe and UK
-
Middle East and Africa
Overview
India
expand here
Americas
expand here
Asia Pacific
expand here
Europe and UK
expand here
Middle East and Africa
expand here
- Overview Press tab for submenu items
Find the latest news about TCS in our Newsroom
Get access to a catalog of the latest news stories from across TCS. Discover our press releases, reports, and company announcements.
-
Press releases
-
News alerts
-
Analyst recognition
Recent recognitions
View all -
Events
Upcoming events
View all -
Media kit
- Overview Press tab for submenu items
TCS works hand in hand with world-leading investors.
Tata Consultancy Services LimitedNSE:TCSINR -
Management Commentary
-
Financials
-
News and Events
-
ESG
-
Resources
Overview
Management Commentary
expand here
Financials
expand here
News and Events
expand here
ESG
expand here
Resources
expand here
Top Results
Showing
10
01 - 07
You have these already downloaded
We have sent you a copy of the report to your email again.
what we do
TCS Pace
This will open an overlay
TCS Pace™: Speedier Digital Transformation & Innovation in Business
TCS Pace™ brings the best of TCS innovation, helping businesses explore emerging technologies & define their innovation strategy for better outcomes. Know more.
Related Insights
With TCS Pace™ as the innovation partner and tech like conversational AI, Boehringer Ingelheim aims to transform its global service desk into a strategic asset.
video
14 Apr 2025
With the evolution of quantum machines, learn how industries can solve multidimensional problems, gain an advantage, and get up-to-speed today.
Article
28 Nov 2023
Listen to this TCS COIN tech podcast to learn how digitization is the next big thing in the supply chain industry & how the future of food will be. Tune in now.
Podcast
15 Dec 2022
Highlights
The IoT-based pill dispenser, TMEAD, adheres to the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP)—which is critical to stall the spread of the disease.
Based on the time of the previous dose, the IoT-based device follows an escalation matrix to alert caregivers, health workers, and eventually, the district administration.
In this article
Back to top
Go to top
In this articleinpage
Go to top
The rising tuberculosis-related mortality rate
Tuberculosis (TB) is fatal disease with a high death rate in India and fighting it requires consuming medicines with time-bound precision. Consuming treatment drug(s) erratically, leads to the disease progresses to an even more challenging drug-resistant stage.
In 2016 alone, India saw nearly 423,000 deaths due to TB, with disease incidence being seven times that figure—the highest in the world. Despite its best efforts, the country is struggling to make a dent in TB morbidity statistics, with one of the main reasons being the lack of treatment adherence.
A team groomed by TCS’ Digital Impact Square (DISQ) has brought some respite to TB patients by building a fully indigenous, scale ready IoT-based pill dispenser, called TMEAD, to enhance adherence outcomes and provide prioritized attention to healthcare workers.
The device built by Nishad Halkarni and Rahul Doshi, product developers from the DISQ team, adheres to the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP)—a critical initiative to stall the spread of the disease—and improves the dosage and monitors the process involved.
Innovation through automation
NTEP depends on manual pill dispensing for compliance and recording of treatment procedures, and it was observed that the information gathered about treatment adherence was often unreliable and open to manipulation. Since tracking and preventing missed doses is crucial to the treatment, the team designed TMEAD to be able to alert patients to take their medicines.
Depending on how long it has been since the last dose, the device follows an escalation matrix to alert caregivers, health workers, and eventually, the district administration. Apart from regime monitoring and avoiding interruptions in treatment, this solution also helps map disease analytics in real time.
Acceptance and results
The TMEAD team has secured a grant from the India Health Fund to run a multi-state pilot, covering around 800 of drug sensitive and drug resistant patients across the Indian states of Maharashtra and Gujarat. They are also undergoing clinical validation trial from the Indian Institute of Public Health, Gandhinagar.
Of course, this task was not without its challenges, starting from the fact that the pills in the dispenser need to be tamper-proof and blister packed, and should last a fortnight at least so that patients don’t have to keep travelling for refills. The device also needed to pack in enough battery power for a month, while still blending in at the patients’ homes to prevent further stigma.
Making the pill dispenser available in other regions
So far, both the patient response to the device as well as general treatment adherence has been good. With the district administration impressed with the results from the pilot phase, the team is now working to make the device available across the western India region, including Nashik, Wardha, Thane, and Ahmedabad Urban and Rural.
Related reading
1/4
TCS Pace
Transforming IT Support with an AI-first Global Service Desk
video
|
14 Apr 2025
Opens in new tab
2/4
TCS Pace
Sustainability and AI-driven Transformation in CPG
White Paper
|
05 Feb 2025
Opens in new tab
3/4
TCS Pace
Transforming Knowledge Work with Generative AI Augmentation
Article
|
27 Jan 2025
Opens in new tab
4/4
TCS Pace
TCS Pace™ Stockholm: Driving a Digital Future in the Nordics
Article
|
31 Jul 2024
Opens in new tab
©2025 TATA Consultancy Services Limited
©2025 TATA Consultancy Services Limited
- Privacy Notice
- Cookie Policy
- Accessibility Declaration
- Disclaimer
- Security Policy
- California Notice at Collection
- Customize Cookies
What’s on your mind?
We’re here to help! Tell us what you’re looking for and we’ll get you connected to the right people.
Looking for something else?