AI-based medical imaging platform company Ohtom (CEO Oh Joon-ho) announced that it has successfully completed a field demonstration of its portable X-ray and tuberculosis (TB) diagnostic AI in the Philippines, thereby increasing the likelihood of participating in a TB eradication project in the Philippines supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).

On 15 November, Ohtom conducted medical outreach in the San Andres Bukid area of Manila, Philippines, in collaboration with local partner Dreamax and Soonchunhyang University Hospital (SCH), verifying the on-site applicability and operational stability of its portable X-ray and TB diagnostic AI solutions.

This demonstration was not a simple medical support activity, but an AI-based local clinical and technical proof-of-concept (PoC) project aimed at participation in a JICA-supported TB eradication project scheduled to be pursued as a continuous program over the next two to three years. In an under-resourced medical environment, Ohtom conducted examinations for approximately 400 local residents, demonstrating both diagnostic accuracy and operational efficiency.

Ohtom demonstrated the entire process of taking X-ray images immediately on site without additional screening vehicles or shielding facilities and rapidly reading the presence or absence of disease by applying the captured images to its TB diagnostic AI. This is being evaluated as a case that confirms the feasibility of an “on-site diagnosis” model targeting highly contagious diseases such as tuberculosis in real-world public health settings.

The event was attended by local government officials, including Manila Vice Mayor Chi Atienza, who showed strong interest in Ohtom’s solution. Ohtom is currently conducting TB-related local clinical work in Vietnam with the National Lung Hospital and plans to leverage the results of the Philippine demonstration to strengthen its position as a technical standard across TB eradication initiatives in Southeast Asia.

This achievement is being interpreted as a signal that, within the project environment and market dynamics surrounding the nationwide X-ray screening program currently being promoted by Indonesia’s Ministry of Health and Ministry of Manpower, Ohtom is entering a phase of generating tangible revenue in the global B2G (business-to-government) medical services market.

CEO Oh Joon-ho stated, “This demonstration in the Philippines shows that Ohtom is moving beyond the technology verification stage and into actual project participation in the global public health market,” adding, “Starting with tuberculosis, we will expand our AI reading capabilities to lung diseases, scoliosis, and bone age assessment and establish ourselves as a core solution provider in ODA and international health projects.”

Meanwhile, in 2024, Ohtom signed a joint development agreement with the Korean National Tuberculosis Association (KNTA) for an AI-assisted chest X-ray reading system, building technological competitiveness in the TB diagnostic field. According to the company, Ohtom’s portable X-ray reduces radiation exposure by more than 90% compared with conventional fixed systems, thereby enhancing safety, and with a weight of around 3 kg and output below 4 mAs, it can be used immediately in medically underserved areas such as rural regions and disaster sites. Its AI-based medical imaging analysis software “O-View AI” reads chest images in an average of 2.6 seconds, and the fact that it obtained Korea’s first Class 3 medical software license is also expected to serve as a competitive advantage when entering the global public procurement market.

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