Strategic collaboration for essential diagnostics

Today marks a significant milestone for FIND. As the world is grappling with the coronavirus outbreak response, strong health systems underpinned by diagnostic capacity are more important than ever.

While momentum builds in key political agendas on the role of diagnosis in strengthening primary healthcare and enabling universal health coverage (UHC), country engagement is needed to close major diagnostic gaps and bolster disease surveillance.

The MoU we signed today with WHO formalizes our strategic collaboration to drive universal access to essential diagnostics. Together, we aim to elevate diagnostic innovation and access through a new dynamic of demand and supply that can unlock value for health systems and patients.

On signing, Dr Tedros emphasized his commitment to our collaboration, which will generate evidence on the impact of effective diagnosis on health systems, shape the diagnostic market, and strengthen country capacity to absorb and sustainably deliver effective diagnosis. He focused on the role of innovation to address country needs and develop digital diagnostic tools, as well as the use of data to facilitate demand creation and delivery of services – all of which must be empowered by catalytic funding.

Clearly no small task is ahead of us as we embark on this journey together with all our partners and collaborators. Working closely with WHO as part of a country-led alliance, we will strive to ensure that low- and middle-income countries have what they need to develop their own comprehensive, data-driven diagnostic strategies that enable UHC and empower disease surveillance. Our ambition is that all patients, providers, and decision-makers have access to the diagnostic solutions needed for optimal health outcomes.

Catharina