Strengthening Healthcare Systems Through the Critical Role of Diagnostics

Call-to-action for Asia Pacific to develop diagnostics capabilities and increase access to quality care.

“Never waste a good crisis”. These words were first uttered nearly 100 years ago, and here we find ourselves in similar circumstances during the modern pandemic. While, certainly, COVID-19 has caused devastation across various health, social, and economic levels, the crisis has been a wake-up call as to the demands for continued structural reforms to systems in the Asia-Pacific region. Indeed, whether it be infectious disease, cancer, or other serious health threats, the quest for solutions to these significant challenges starts with – and depends on – diagnostics.

The role of medical diagnostic technologies fit squarely into this mantra. Investments in Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in the Asia Pacific bring some USD 2.5 trillion into the region, which has traditionally underfunded access to high-quality technologies.¹ Equally, stakeholders from patients and healthcare practitioners through to government leaders and payers have observed, in action, the power of fast, accurate testing solutions. The Asia-Pacific Medical Technology Association (APACMed) published a report during COVID-19 about the role played by medical diagnostic technologies.²

The approach of this paper is educational in nature, providing realworld use cases as means to offer opportunities to co-create, across public and private sectors, the path ahead. Download the full whitepaper here.