DNDi's interventions:
Agenda item 6: Universal health coverage
The true test of UHC is the extent to which it addresses the needs of vulnerable populations – for example, NTDs, which affect 1.62 billion people globally, mostly in vulnerable and marginalized communities. Too often, existing health tools for these diseases have serious limitations that hamper the provision of care and can cause catastrophic health expenditure and impede disease control.
R&D can support UHC by delivering safe, effective, affordable health tools adapted to patient needs and designed for use at the primary healthcare level, close to the affected communities – reducing the need for specialist intervention in hospitals. Oral treatments and simpler point-of-care diagnostic tests are such examples.
At the UN High Level Meeting on UHC, Member States should include medical innovation and the delivery of missing health tools needed to address unmet needs and ensure no one is left behind. In addition, Member States should look for opportunities for R&D synergies and integration of access programmes across diseases.
