Not-for-profit
Year launched: 2013IPAQT believes that early diagnosis, followed by early treatment is the solution to this disease. IPAQT aims to:-
1. Facilitate the delivery of validated/ endorsed tests to the TB patient at affordable prices.
2. Promote the use of validated/ endorsed TB tests through a coordinated communications and behavior change effort to replace suboptimal tests and build awareness about the new, validated/endorsed tests among healthcare providers.
As a part of the initiative the labs are also motivated to start notification of positive tuberculosis patients, strictly follow the ban on serology, and follow strict external quality assurance practices.
There are four accepted sputum tests that are recommended by the WHO, and are also used by RNTCP. These are sputum smear, Xpert MTB/RIF, line probe assay and liquid culture. In the IPAQT platform, these tests are made available at affordable prices to patients in the private sector. Under the Initiative, 66 private sector labs and other stakeholders have come together with a commitment to provide these four quality tests for Tuberculosis (TB) at or below the following the ‘ceiling prices’:
a. Gene Xpert test– Rs. 2000 ($33)
b. Hain Genotype test – Rs. 1600 ($27)
c. MGIT test – Rs. 900 ($15) for liquid culture, Rs. 2800 ($46) for 5 DST
d. BacT/Alert test – Rs. 900 ($15)
These 4 tests combine the advantages of accuracy and speed, both of which are of essence in the battle to combat TB. The IPAQT labs have a pan-India presence; with more than 3000 collection centers and an ever-expanding reach and currently reaches over 70% of Indian districts in the country..
In addition to the 66 private sector labs that are committed to fight TB, the Initiative consists of various non-profit and academic bodies which have are opinion leaders in the field of TB diagnosis and treatment.
