WHO Supports Nigeria In 2022 National Diagnostic List
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Nigeria National Diagnostic List has been supported by the World Health Organisation through its launch.
This was announced during the launch of the Nigeria National Essential Diagnostic List by the WHO.
EDL is aimed at providing evidence-based guidance to countries to create their national list. The list comprises essential diagnostic tests and tools.
The EDL is also anticipated to complement the List of Essential Medicines and boost its impact.
Dr Alexander Chimbaru, the WHO Public Health Emergency Advisor, said the list was designed by the WHO. The goal was to address the lack of access to tests and testing services in countries.
See the latest health news in Nigeria on hands and infections
Chimbaru said the EDL was borne out of:
He further explained that the WHO EDL was first published in 2018. Chimbaru noted that this was a list of recommended in-vitro diagnostics available at the point of care. The list is a guidance document for countries to create their national list based on the society.
Chimbaru continued:
“The overall goal of the EDL is to improve access to testing, diagnostic capacities during the outbreak, affordability of test, regulation, and quality of the diagnostic test.”
“The National Essential Diagnostic List is anticipated to complement and enhance the impact of the Essential Medicines List, which has recorded a great improvement in availability and affordability of medicines and quality of patient management.”
Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, said the launch marks another milestone in the health sector.
It said this would help attain the core mandate of the Federal Ministry of Health.
The Nigeria National Essential Diagnostic List would help “to develop and implement policies to strengthen the national health system for effective, efficient, accessible and affordable delivery of health services in partnership with relevant stakeholders.”
Ehanire noted that policies and guidelines were developed to address needs and situations. The Health Minister added that Nigeria was committed to attaining globally agreed Sustainable Development Goals and Universal Health Coverage.
He said:
“Over the past few years, there has been increased recognition of the importance of diagnostic testing in healthcare, and especially in achieving the goal of UHC, but until recently, there have been few strategic efforts designed to develop the evidence base on which policymakers can rationally increase and improve access to diagnostic testing.”
“To this end, after about four decades since the existence of the Essential Medicines List, WHO has seen the need to develop an Essential Diagnostics List.”
Source: PUNCH HealthWise
