BY PHUMELELE MKHONTA
MBABANE– Eswatini was spotted as the rightful country to negotiate on behalf of Africa.
During the World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva, the country was tasked with the duty to lead negotiations of the International Alliance for Diagnostics on behalf of the Member States of the African Region.
The WHA Resolution formally recognises the vital role of diagnostics in delivering health for all, enabling countries to prioritize the resources needed to ensure everyone who needs a test can get one; A country-led International Alliance for Diagnostics will be formed to support the implementation of the Resolution; Adoption of the Resolution coincides with FIND (www.FINDdx.org) marking its 20th anniversary.
At the 76th World Health Assembly last week, Member States voted to adopt a Resolution on strengthening diagnostics capacity (https://apo-opa.info/3N3ClO4), following a recommendation from the World Health Organization (WHO) Executive Board on February 1, 2023.
The WHA Resolution is a historic milestone on the path to health for all, enabling countries to prioritize the systems and resources needed to ensure everyone who needs a test can get one – wherever and whenever they seek care, in a hospital, at a clinic, or at home through self-tests. The Resolution ranges widely, covering testing for infectious and non-communicable diseases and health conditions, for pandemic prevention and preparedness, and to combat antimicrobial resistance. The Resolution also recognizes the need for national diagnostics strategies to be put in place and acknowledges that diagnostic data are critical to inform healthcare decision-making at every level.
The Resolution builds on recommendations from the 2021 Lancet Commission on Diagnostics, chaired by Dr Kenneth Fleming. Indonesia was also a champion, building on their commitment earlier this year to improving access to essential diagnostic tests, as well as spotlighting diagnostics as part of their G20 agenda when they held the Presidency last year. The G20 Presidency passed to India at the end of 2022, and India has continued to keep testing central to the political health agenda (https://apo-opa.info/3N0xGfK).
To support the implementation of the Resolution, and to align with global goals for universal health coverage (UHC) and global health security, the Lancet Commission also identified the need for a formal, country-led, International Alliance for Diagnostics, with a focus on primary care, as a coordinated mechanism to drive access to testing. On the sidelines of the WHA, leaders from Eswatini, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zambia, met alongside WHO, PAHO, Africa CDC, FIND, and the Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), and agreed unanimously on the path forward for an International Diagnostics Alliance.
Efforts to get the Ministry of Health’s comment in this regard proved to be futile by the time this article was combined.
