G20 Dive into Diagnostics

At the 4^th HWG Meeting of South Africa’s G20 presidency, South Africa’s National Department of Health, FIND and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) convened a high-level co-branded event, “Dive Into Diagnostics” to demonstrate the critical role of diagnostics in achieving the goals of Priority Area 5 of the HWG, Harnessing Science and Innovation for Healthier Societies and Thriving Economies.

“Diagnostics underpin all of our health goals, from pandemic preparedness to tackling AMR and reducing the burden of non-communicable disease,” said Dr Ayoade Alakija, FIND Board Chair. “If we really want to save lives, drive development and pandemic-proof our societies and economies, investing in diagnostics is critical. The G20 can turn political will into policy action to ensure everyone has access to good quality diagnostics.

Under South Africa’s G20 Presidency, the HWG has prioritised science and innovation as a driver of both health and economic growth. Today, leaders from government, industry, and civil society came together to share expert insights, success stories, demonstrating how diagnostic innovation, and investment in science, are delivering progress across health and development. They also highlighted the gaps where more support is needed. For example, building human capacity in country, reducing costs of raw materials and addressing barriers to market access.

“Diagnostics have long been overlooked and underfunded, yet they hold immense potential to fortify health and economies,” said Dr Ifedayo Adetifa, CEO of FIND. “The South African G20 Presidency has recognized science and innovation as catalysts for producing health and wealth. Diagnostics must be at the heart of the “health for all” agenda. This landmark meeting is a vital opportunity to galvanize policy commitments, identify systemic barriers, and advance the innovation and investment needed to strengthen the diagnostic ecosystem.”

Accurate, accessible, and timely diagnostics are essential for effective patient care and the foundation of broader health priorities such as universal health coverage (UHC), pandemic preparedness and the fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Yet nearly half the world still lacks access to basic diagnostics. Prioritizing sustained investment to foster scientific innovation in diagnostics and improved access to underutilized diagnostics are critical steps toward closing this gap, building resilient health systems and achieving global health security.

Dr Aquina Thulare, Technical Adviser, National Department of Health, South Africa stated that, “South Africa is committed to advancing equitable solutions to address the health challenges of today, such as the diagnostics gap, and we recognize that harnessing science and innovation is an essential part of the solution. We are proud to have partnered with FIND and CSIR to explore the practical, evidence-based strategies that can drive meaningful change on a national and global scale.”

The session, chaired by FIND Board Chair Dr Ayoade Alakija, opened with the powerful testimony of Carol Nawina Maimbolwa, a renowned TB, HIV and cervical cancer advocate whose experience as a patient highlighted the critical need for timely, accurate, and accessible diagnostics, underscoring that there can be no universal health coverage or pandemic preparedness and response without them. This was followed by presentations of case studies demonstrating the return on investment from diagnostics innovation, with examples from Egypt’s Healthy Lives investment, which has led to the elimination of hepatitis C, Singapore’s Diagnostics Hub, which is driving innovation and economic growth, India’s investment in its domestic R&D ecosystem, which produced a new TB diagnostic platform, Truenat by Molbio (FIND’s contribution to this was acknowledged), Senegal’s diaTROPIX manufacturing facility for rapid diagnostics tests with (FIND and UNITAID investment) and South Africa’s progress in developing and deploying RDTs to strengthen the health system, support local manufacturing and advance gender equity.

The side event concluded with a high-level panel featuring an update on the World Health Assembly (WHA) Resolution on Diagnostics from Dr Yukiko Nakatani, Assistant Director-General at the World health Organization (WHO), who emphasised the value of the partnership with FIND and thanked FIND for keeping diagnostics high on the political agenda. G20 member state representatives from Brazil, India, South Korea, South Africa and Singapore shared national experiences in closing the diagnostics gap to conclude the session.

“The strategies and case studies on accelerating science, innovation and investment in diagnostics shared by countries and industry leaders have clearly demonstrated the transformative power of diagnostics and the strong return on investment they yield. By building on the momentum generated today and scaling up these solutions, we can fully realize the potential of diagnostics to drive lasting health, development and economic gains.” said Dr Rachel Chikwamba, CSIR Group Executive for Advanced Chemistry and Life Sciences.