Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Journal

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Volume 1, Issue 1-2, June 2019, Pages 3 - 7

Essential Diagnostics: A Key Element of Universal Health Coverage

Authors
Madhukar Pai1, 2, *, Mikashmi Kohli1
1McGill International TB Centre, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
2McGill Global Health Programs, McGill University, Montreal, Canada

Peer review under responsibility of the Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Services Group Company

*Corresponding author. Email: madhukar.pai@mcgill.ca
Corresponding Author
Madhukar Pai
Received 8 February 2019, Accepted 18 February 2019, Available Online 28 March 2019.
DOI
10.2991/dsahmj.k.190225.001How to use a DOI?
Keywords
Essential diagnostics; tests; global health; World Health Organization; Universal Health Coverage
Abstract

Good primary care is an essential precondition for a decent healthcare system. In fact, primary health care is at the heart of Universal Health Coverage (UHC). UHC, in turn, is critical to achieve the sustainable development goals. While access to essential medicines is explicit in UHC, access to essential diagnostics has received little attention. In May 2018, the World Health Organization (WHO) published the first Essential Diagnostics List (EDL), and declared its commitment to give equal importance to diagnostic tests and essential medicines. The EDL has been positively received by a variety of stakeholders, including industry. The EDL offers countries a benchmark that they can use to measure and improve diagnostic services, and preliminary data from India show limited access to essential tests at the primary care level. Some countries, notably India, have already begun developing National EDLs (NEDLs). Hopefully, such national efforts will enable the implementation of EDLs, and improve access to diagnostics. It is time for Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) to not only increase coverage of health care, but also improve quality of care. Access to essential tests is the first key step in improving quality of care.

Copyright
© 2019 Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group. Publishing services by Atlantis Press International B.V.
Open Access
This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC 4.0 license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).

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<Previous Article In Issue
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Journal
Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Journal
Volume-Issue
1 - 1-2
Pages
3 - 7
Publication Date
2019/03/28
ISSN (Online)
2590-3349
ISSN (Print)
2666-819X
DOI
10.2991/dsahmj.k.190225.001How to use a DOI?
Copyright
© 2019 Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group. Publishing services by Atlantis Press International B.V.
Open Access
This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC 4.0 license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/).

Cite this article

risenwbib
TY  - JOUR
AU  - Madhukar Pai
AU  - Mikashmi Kohli
PY  - 2019
DA  - 2019/03/28
TI  - Essential Diagnostics: A Key Element of Universal Health Coverage
JO  - Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Journal
SP  - 3
EP  - 7
VL  - 1
IS  - 1-2
SN  - 2590-3349
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/dsahmj.k.190225.001
DO  - 10.2991/dsahmj.k.190225.001
ID  - Pai2019
ER  -