Pune-based radiology AI company DeepTek has cut the price of its WHO-recommended chest X-ray AI for tuberculosis screening to roughly one-third of its earlier level for eligible public sector and not-for-profit providers in 138 low- and middle-income countries. The new Global Access Pricing model, announced on 2 November 2026, comes through an access agreement with Unitaid and the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI).
The company says the lower price will let national TB programmes screen up to three times as many people within their existing budgets, at a time when donor funding for TB detection is under pressure.
What DeepTek’s Global Access Pricing offers
Global Access Pricing is an annual subscription for each connected X-ray unit. According to DeepTek, it includes:
- Unlimited AI reads on every chest X-ray from a connected unit
- Installation, user training, product updates, maintenance and technical support, with no add-on charges
- Online, offline and hybrid deployment, so the software can run in hospitals, diagnostic centres, mobile screening vans and remote facilities with poor connectivity
- Published prices for additional indications such as cardiomegaly, silicosis and lung cancer, so programmes can extend TB screening into wider lung health screening on the same X-ray
Beyond TB, DeepTek says its software flags more than 20 clinically relevant chest abnormalities.
Why price is now the barrier for AI in TB screening
Tuberculosis killed an estimated 1.23 million people in 2024. Chest X-rays are a key tool for finding cases early, but many high-burden countries do not have enough radiologists to read them quickly. The World Health Organization recommends computer-aided detection software for TB screening, and studies have found that such tools can match trained readers.
“At DeepTek, we believe healthcare programmes should never have to choose between quality and affordability,” said Ajit Patil, Co-founder and Managing Director of DeepTek. Dr Amit Kharat, Co-founder and CEO, said the opportunity now is to make AI screening “accessible at scale”.
Dr Philippe Duneton, Executive Director of Unitaid, said reducing the cost of diagnostic tools is critical “at a time when funding constraints are threatening progress in tuberculosis detection”. Marie Chantale Lepine, Vice President of Global Markets at CHAI, said lower licence costs mean high-burden countries “can equip more mobile clinics and community health centers” with screening tools.
What it means for India’s TB programme
India carries the world’s largest TB burden, and its National TB Elimination Programme already uses handheld X-ray machines and AI reading in active case-finding drives. Cheaper, offline-capable AI licences matter most in exactly those settings: screening camps, mobile vans and district facilities where a radiologist may not be on site. For programme managers, a flat per-unit subscription also makes AI easier to budget than per-scan pricing.
Eligible health programmes, governments and NGOs can contact DeepTek for details of the pricing.
Key facts
- Who: DeepTek (Pune), with Unitaid and CHAI
- What: Global Access Pricing for its WHO-recommended chest X-ray AI
- Price: About one-third of previous pricing, per connected X-ray unit per year
- Where: Public and not-for-profit providers in 138 low- and middle-income countries
- Announced: 2 November 2026
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