The department of Innovation, Access to Medicines and Health Technologies (IMT/PAHO) published the Spanish and Portuguese translation of the WHO guidance document Selection of essential in vitro diagnostics at country level: using the WHO model list of essential in vitro diagnostics to develop and update a national list of essential in vitro diagnostics.
The purpose of the document is to guide ministries of health, policy- and decision-makers to develop a National Essential In Vitro Diagnostics List (NEDL). A NEDL is a list of in vitro diagnostics (IVDs) that are considered high priorities based on the country's context and needs. The objective of a NEDL is to increase access to essential IVDs, as well as building and strengthening diagnostic testing capacity. In addition, the document discusses the benefits of a NEDL, and proposes a step-by-step process to initiate the development of a list of essential in vitro diagnostics at the national level.
This guidance document complements the WHO Essential Diagnostics List (EDL), an evidence-based list developed to guide countries in creating their national lists. The WHO EDL includes categories of essential IVD tests and recommended assay formats at different levels of the healthcare system.
In vitro diagnostics (IVDs) are medical devices that play a pivotal role in disease detection and management. They constitute a fundamental tool for global health, contributing to early diagnosis, disease surveillance and outbreak tracking. Ensuring the availability, accessibility, affordability and quality of diagnostics is critical in delivering universal health.
The unit of Access to Medicines and Health Technologies (IMT/AH), in collaboration with WHO, presented the guidance document during a webinar on August 31st. More than 165 participants from 25 countries participated in the event. The recording of the webinar is available on PAHO’s YouTube Channel through the following link: https://youtu.be/KJSNMuo9mjM
Links
Guidance document: Selection of essential in vitro diagnostics at country level: using the WHO model list of essential in vitro diagnostics to develop and update a national list of essential in vitro diagnostics.
Spanish version
Portuguese version
English version (original document by WHO)
