Could diagnostics hold the key to health equity in Asia-Pacific?

Diagnostics are vital to detect and prevent diseases affecting millions of lives, but in the Asia-Pacific region, a lack of advocacy for diagnostics creates barriers to accessing preventative care.

Here, like the rest of the world, the challenges for health equity are stark. Complete health equity is achieved when everyone can attain their full potential for health and well-being, regardless of social, economic or environmental conditions.

But health systems in the world’s most populous and diverse region must serve 4.7 billion people¹ — 60% of the global population.

And incidences in several disease areas are higher than anywhere else: Asia Pacific accounts for 62.6% of global deaths from liver disease² and 45% of the world’s burden of tuberculosis³. Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) account for 35% of deaths in our region⁴.

These public health challenges are becoming more urgent; incidences are only projected to increase.

The diagnostic disconnect

A key contributor is a lack of diagnostic capacity. Diagnostics are central to the delivery of quality care. They play a pivotal role in saving lives at every stage of a person’s health journey, giving clinicians the tools to act early, often before symptoms begin. That can mean fewer complications, faster answers and better care when it matters most.

This not only supports patients and governments in saving lives, but also reduces healthcare expenditure by intervening at the right time.

But in Asia Pacific, diagnostics remain undervalued in both the medical community and the wider population. It’s often wrongly characterised as a support function or a precursor to treatment, receiving only 2% of healthcare spending despite determining over 70% of clinical decisions⁵.

Cultural, societal and familial expectations complicate the problem further. Myths and stigmas around health issues often prevent people from seeking the medical advice they need.

Cervical cancer, for example, is the first cancer we may well eliminate in our lifetimes. A comprehensive cervical cancer prevention program, with vaccines and screening, could avert 5.2 million cases and 3.7 million deaths in Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs)⁶. Yet around 37% of women in Asia Pacific believe that undergoing screenings for cervical cancer is shameful or embarrassing⁷.

Combined with a growing and ageing population in Asia Pacific, and the existing challenges in accessing medical care, it’s clear our lack of diagnostic capacity needs to be addressed before it becomes a crisis.

The window of opportunity

It’s not all bad news. Ten years ago, conversations around cervical cancer in Asia Pacific were very different. We’ve already made significant progress in education and the provision of screening.

Governments across Asia-Pacific are now implementing cervical cancer screening on a national level, working towards the WHO’s target of screening 70% of eligible women with a high-performance test⁸. Self-sampling provides alternative options for screening, reducing barriers for those who are more conservative or don’t have access to a clinic or hospital.

But there’s much more work to be done. Success means making a tangible and lasting impact on global health by improving diagnostic capabilities and expanding access to preventative care across all disease areas.

Now is the time to challenge misconceptions around diagnostics

With improved technology and enhanced diagnostic testing, we can begin putting the needs of people and communities at the heart of care, closing these gaps and easing the societal burden of chronic disease.

We must do this by educating patients on the importance of diagnostic care, allowing us to generate more interest in routine screenings, increase patient compliance, and improve trust in healthcare providers.

But we also have to continue addressing diagnostics funding and access to medical resources. Life-changing innovation is only meaningful if it reaches those who need it; a global event like a pandemic should not be the only reason to fund diagnostic care.

We call on policymakers, key opinion leaders and healthcare innovators to work together to drive a cultural shift in attitudes to diagnostics among both clinicians and patients, advocating for improved diagnostic capability across national health systems and encouraging individuals to check on their health like they check their bank accounts.

This shifts us from an “illness” paradigm to a more patient-centric “wellness” paradigm. It allows us to detect symptoms much earlier and prioritise prevention over cure. And it’s the only way we can prevent global healthcare crises and millions of deaths — by giving people access to the care they need to live healthier, happier lives.

It isn’t only senior decision-makers who can drive change: you can, too.

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