Africa CDCP launches initiative to advance diagnostics
Africa’s Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) and partners have launched the Africa Collaborative Initiative to Advance Diagnostics (AFCAD), to bridge the gaps experienced in diagnostics towards advancing the diagnostic agenda in Africa.
Yenew Kebede, head of Division of Laboratory System, Africa CDCP, disclosed this while addressing the press at the ongoing Africa Society for Laboratory Medicine conference in Abuja, this weekend.
He explained that in recognition of the urgent need to address existing barriers towards advancing the diagnostic agenda in Africa, the Africa CDCP, in partnership with the African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM), Institut de Recherche, de Surveillance Epidémiologique et de Formation (IRESSEF), World Health Organisation Africa Regional Office (WHO-AFRO), Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI), African Field Epidemiology Network (AFENET), UNITAID, and other partners came together to launch the AFCAD in order to promote the diagnostic agenda in the African region through better coordinated and synergised efforts that align with the priorities of Ministries of Health.
He said the strategic partnerships would help to increase access to quality diagnostics towards the achievement of universal health coverage in Africa.
“Universal Health Coverage is a priority for African countries to attain inclusive and sustainable growth. However, many diseases remain undiagnosed due to the poor diagnostic capacity in most African countries”.
“The limited access to essential tests and slow introduction of innovative technologies result in insufficient disease case findings and hampers access to and monitoring of treatment,” he said.
He noted that barriers inherent in diagnostics had prevented the African continent from becoming free of epidemic-prone diseases, hence compromising the achievement of the health agenda of the African Union.
Some of the roles of AFCAD, as enumerated by Kebede, includes but not limited to enable all Member States to achieve equitable access of up to 80 percent coverage to the essential package of health including essential diagnostics as defined by WHO, taking advantage of technological innovations delivered through optimized integrated laboratory networks and it is expected to support achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals as well as improved adherence to International Health Regulations (2015).
“AFCAD will prioritize approaches that address critical gaps and unmet needs of laboratory diagnostics such as accelerating regulation to facilitate timely and wide access to essential diagnostics, market interventions towards increased affordability of diagnostic testing and reduction of user-fees, communication and dissemination of data supporting evidence-based improvement of diagnostic services and the smart investment of resources, advocacy for appropriate investment in diagnostics,” he said.
This is an important time to take on such initiative because Africa is experiencing the outbreak of diseases and the UCHs are not economically friendly. We are following the status quo and we want to be the one to provide the solutions that will be collaborating to address the issues.
That main objective is to reduce the time frame by capacitating the labs.
Acting CEO, ASLM, Ngobite Ndlovu, expressed excitement over the launch and said the initiative would help advance diagnostics and create efficiency.
“This initiative is saying that as a continent can we begin to work together and identify the network of diagnosis, it would promote local manufacturing of in- vitro diagnosis. It would equally address the innovation to be put in place,” Ndlovu said.
Similarly, the chairperson of ASLM board, professor Alash’le Abimiku, said the launch would help put in place infrastructure and regulatory support across Africa wherein Africa can build her own capacity and reduce the regulatory to help move from country to country for better diagnostics thereby saving lives.
“The beauty of this initiative is not just about having the laboratory, but to have a continent that have industry that will listen to what are the reagents that we need. We want to create the industry that will take care of the diagnostics,” she said.