New article in BMJ blogs:
An urgent call to action for all stakeholders in healthcare should be set in motion immediately:
- We call on transparency in data regarding coverage of essential health services. In its 2030 agenda, the United Nations developed the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). SDG 3 is the goal targeting health and well-being for all. Universal Health Coverage was pioneered under the auspices of SDG target 3.8 with indicator 3.8.1 measuring coverage of essential health services. Data collection and tracking methods for this indicator are not made publicly available, in contrast to the other indicators. Diagnostic services are indeed essential and must be tracked.
- We call for increased governmental prioritization of diagnostics, namely pathology, radiology, and laboratory medicine. These services are still lacking, particularly in LMICs. Reasons include the high cost of equipment, the absence of a body of literature on diagnostics as it relates to LMICs, and the lack of diagnosticians and specialists.
- We call on health educators to employ curricula that emphasize total health system preparedness, including access and development of diagnostic services. This is paramount for any practitioner’s training, regardless of their future specialty.
While pandemics are as old as human existence, the COVID-19 crisis is a new challenge for the 21st century. We cannot see the enemy, but we can detect it. The role of diagnostics in combatting this virus and improving healthcare quality overall, has never been more apparent.
Read the full article: https://blogs.bmj.com/bmjgh/2020/06/04/lessons-from-the-covid-19-pandemic-importance-of-diagnostics-in-healthcare/