Why we can’t ignore diagnostics in the pursuit of universal health care

Where you live should not determine whether you live or not.

The principle took center stage at last month’s UN General Assembly health hearings, where delegates discussed how best to accelerate action on the UN’s 2030 Agenda. Chief among these is a focus on universal health coverage and pandemic preparedness.

Shared experiences from COVID-19 reinforce the valuable role of decisive global action during international health emergencies and prompt countries to take immediate steps to strengthen health security. This is even more urgent in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), which face capacity and capability challenges, the lack of harmonized regulatory mechanisms, and the additional challenges of rapidly growing patient populations and dramatic increases in patient numbers . elderly.

We can no longer put the achievement of sustainable development and global health security on the sidelines, and urgent interventions must be taken to follow this vision of the world. More importantly, we must acknowledge that no one can do it alone.

Collective action is needed to address key areas and support the implementation of key policies and guidelines in line with the World Health Assembly diagnostic resolution and 2030 targets.

Collaboration between private and public stakeholders is critical.

Diagnostics at the forefront

The Asia-Pacific region, home to 60% of the world’s population, has been working hard to help the world achieve universal healthcare. The South-East Asia Region has the highest out-of-pocket share of current health expenditure among all WHO regions. In 2017, this meant that 117 million people faced poverty due to health expenditures.

With the 2030 deadline less than seven years away, achieving universal health care is undoubtedly a daunting task. But the situation is further complicated by the fact that 47% of the world’s people still lack access to the most basic diagnosis.

We’ve seen a surge in diagnostic innovation, approvals and distribution due to the necessity created by the pandemic. Still, diagnostics account for only 2% of health care spending.

Life-changing innovations only make sense if they reach the people who need them. Diagnostics must play a more central role in national health care plans—both crisis preparedness and routine health care delivery. The Asia-Pacific region bears a huge global burden of infectious diseases, and the epidemic of non-communicable diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases poses increasing challenges to health systems. This requires diagnostics to play a more prominent role, not only as a means to facilitate treatment, but also as a gateway to early intervention – preventing disease progression and detecting disease before it begins. This early intervention approach can lead to better patient health outcomes and long-term cost savings for the healthcare system.

Breast cancer and cervical cancer are a clear example. Targeted and sustainable interventions by emerging economies in the Asia-Pacific region can help accelerate the achievement of WHO’s goals for these two diseases, as the Asia-Pacific Women’s Cancer Alliance report also highlights Got this.

Cooperate and make progress together

Industry must collaborate to facilitate diagnostic access.

Roche Diagnostics, together with the Aga Khan University Hospital and Health Foundation, is supporting a hepatitis control and elimination program in Pakistan, benefiting 36,000 patients over two years. The initiative is part of a wider global access program that supports low- and middle-income countries in strengthening their diagnostic infrastructure. Since its founding in 2014, the company has provided diagnostic solutions to 89 countries around the world, covering a range of high-burden diseases including tuberculosis (TB), hepatitis B and C (HBV and HCV), and human papillomavirus (HPV) .

The industry must continue to innovate, such as exploring opportunities in digital health to bring diagnostics closer to patients and finding ways to collaborate with other organizations to increase diagnostic capabilities in the Asia-Pacific region.

Bold vision requires bold action

The Asia-Pacific region lacks a homogeneous healthcare environment and requires localized diagnostic strategies. The one-size-fits-all solution of Medicare for All is unsustainable. Nonetheless, while diagnostic strategies should be tailored to each country, there are still some opportunities in much of the region.

As the Lancet Commission on Diagnostics recommends, countries should formalize the role of diagnostics at every step of the healthcare journey. This means developing a national diagnostics strategy and introducing a national Essential Diagnostics List (EDL) to improve access.

Another approach is to strengthen the laboratory. Universal health coverage cannot be achieved without a network of laboratories and a skilled workforce to support patient diagnosis, early intervention, and ongoing patient/disease surveillance. Laboratory systems are critical to achieving the speed and accuracy of diagnostic test results, especially during a public health crisis. Although laboratory results play a critical role in supporting clinical decision-making, they account for only 5% of hospital costs.

To achieve the goal of early detection, continued investment in laboratory funding, workforce capacity, and training by governments and private sector organizations is necessary.

Challenges in diagnostic availability and accessibility are another area where cross-sector collaboration can make a difference. Government health spending in the Asia-Pacific region is relatively low, accounting for only 35% of overall health spending in the region. Increased funding for screening programs could significantly reduce the burden on acute care facilities by promoting timely detection and treatment. The diagnostics industry can support this by providing technical assistance and expertise to health authorities as they build essential diagnostic lists and by innovating in the production of diagnostics suitable for low-resource settings.

“Early diagnosis is not a good thing, it is an important part of achieving universal health care.”

Lance Little, Managing Director, Roche Diagnostics Asia Pacific

Public-private partnerships in diagnostics

Finally, the public and private sectors can realize the full potential of digital health solutions by creating a robust, trusted diagnostic data collection framework. For example, Thailand’s health system moved from paper to electronic health records. The National Population Register serves as a delivery system. It sets a baseline list of beneficiaries for a universal health care scheme, allowing for rapid coverage and eliminating the need for duplicative enrollment activities.

Early diagnosis is not a good thing, but it is an important part of achieving universal health care. With seven years left to go, we don’t have much time to bring diagnostic services to nearly half the world’s population, and working alone can be a daunting task. The 78th UN General Assembly is an important step in proposing an action-oriented road map, but there is still a lot of work ahead.

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Written by

Lance LittleHead of Asia Pacific, Roche Diagnostics Asia Pacific

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This article was originally published by world economic forum October 4, 2023.