Category: Featured Work – Awareness & Advocacy

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Featured Work - Awareness & Advocacy

Understanding barriers to diagnostics access in Madagascar

Communities in Madagascar face numerous barriers in accessing diagnostics services. In this rapid assessment, led by Matahari Global Solutions, in partnership with the community-based organisation Ankizy Gasy, and supported by FIND, 43 individuals living in rural and semi-rural communities in Madagascar were interviewed to understand availability of diagnostics, and to understand barriers to accessing diagnostics.

This rapid assessment found a complex diagnostics environment marked by high out-of-pocket spending for diagnostics relative to income, relatively long distances to get to primary healthcare centres, doctors prescribing antibiotics with incomplete diagnostics regimens or no diagnostics at all, poor clinical practices on diagnostics (such as use of inaccurate terminology), and insufficient data about stockouts. Because rapid malaria tests are provided for free, doctors offer these more regularly, but upon a negative result are unable to recommend additional tests because of the cost barrier. The assessment also found that rural communities overwhelmingly wanted more accessible and affordable testing – and perceived that people they knew were dying from ‘unknown diseases’.

To learn more about the results of the assessment, and recommendations to address the barriers revealed, click below.

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Featured Work - Awareness & Advocacy

Let’s Test Toolkit

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed global gaps in testing for communicable and noncommunicable diseases, and these gaps disproportionately affect individuals and families in low- and middle- income countries (LMICs). A staggering 81% of the population in LMICs don’t have access to many of the most simple tests available (Lancet, 2021).1

UNICEF has responded to this global gap in testing by developing the “Let’s Test” Toolkit, which aims to support Advocacy Champions in their goal to increase the use of quality testing in their own communities, through both increased supply and demand generation. This Toolkit, utilizing evidence based strategies,  provides step-by-step guides and assets to support impactful and productive engagement with policymakers to advocate for increased supply of quality testing. Communications assets, facilitation tools, memorable info-bites and content for social media campaigns are also provided to drive informed community-level demand and use of quality testing in LMICs.

The “Let’s Test” Toolkit has been informed by research in five LMICs and was designed with consideration for global health best practices for engagement, advocacy and social behavior change communication (SBCC). Practical guidance is also included to enable users of the Toolkit to tailor advocacy and communication assets for specific country and community contexts. 

Access the Toolkit here to learn more: lets-test.org.

1 Lancet Commission on Diagnostics: transforming access to diagnostics (2021)

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Featured Work - Awareness & Advocacy

FIND and Unitaid invest US$2 million to support advocacy for COVID-19 test-and-treat approaches in low- and middle-income countries

FIND, the global alliance for diagnostics and Unitaid are investing US$2 million in a coordinated advocacy programme spanning 19 low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) designed to boost access and uptake of COVID-19 tests and treatments. A total of 21 organizations with a diverse range of healthcare expertise have been selected from more than 300 applicants, following a request for proposals (RFP) and competitive selection process that included assessment by a panel of independent reviewers. Criteria for funding included previous public health advocacy experience and expected impact of test-and-treat advocacy in the targeted region.

Projects range in duration from 6 to 18 months, and will raise awareness of COVID-19 testing and treatment among the public, key opinion leaders, and specific high-risk and vulnerable groups. Partners include (listed alphabetically by country): Mhair Educational, Health and Human Rights Organization (Afghanistan), Family Planning Association of Bangladesh (Bangladesh), IMAG Communication (Burkina Faso), Maison des Associations de lutte contre le Sida (Burkina Faso), Health Poverty Action Cambodia (Cambodia), Caritas Développement Mbujimayi (Democratic Republic of the Congo), TB Alert India (India), Pi Consulting (India), Kenya AIDS NGOs Consortium (Kenya), Health Poverty Action Laos (Laos), Caritas Lesotho (Lesotho), ESTAMOS (Mozambique), REDTRANS (Nicaragua), Shifa Foundation (Pakistan), Media for Deaf Rwanda (Rwanda), South Sudan Community Change Agency (South Sudan), Sikika (Tanzania), Université Mahmoud El Materi (Tunisia), HEPS (Uganda), Zambia Interfaith Working Group (Zambia), Pan-African Treatment Access Movement (Zimbabwe).

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Featured Work - Awareness & Advocacy

Platform for ACT-A Civil Society and Community Representatives

Street scene outside the Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Narayan Hospital, Delhi.December 2017Photo credit: FIND / Ben Phillips

Since May 2020 the Platform for ACT-A Civil Society & Community Representatives (the Platform) has been supporting community and civil society representatives in ACT-A and advocating for and ensuring that every aspect of the ACT-A has reserved space for communities and civil society to bring their expertise, experience and voices to the table. 

The Platform is co-led by WACI Health, Global Fund Advocates Network (GFAN) and STOPAIDS. 

Please visit the Platform site here to learn more

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Add Resources - Manufacturing Add Resources - Research & Development Featured Work - Awareness & Advocacy

Call to boost access to cheaper rapid diagnostic tests

Key takeaway: RDT agreements boost local manufacturing to supply millions of low-cost, high-quality tests for lower-income nations.

In July 2020 FIND and Unitaid launched a call via the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator Diagnostics Pillar for expressions of interest (EOI) to speed up availability and scale up manufacturing of rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for COVID-19.

The EOI was geared towards increasing supply of regulatory approved, fit-for-purpose SARS-CoV-2 Ag RDTs that met WHO criteria of quality, cost and accessibility. This was particularly needed in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).

Innovators, developers and manufacturers of RDTs and in vitro diagnostics, and LMIC-based diagnostic stakeholders, were invited to submit proposals.

Interventions included:

  • Accelerating late-stage product development and optimization
  • Facilitating technology transfer activities
  • Conducting performance evaluation studies to support regulatory submissions
  • Increasing production capacity
  • Addressing supply chain challenges
  • Strengthening local capacity for development and deployment of new tests within national testing strategies. 

Driving down prices and supporting the use of less invasive specimens to enable faster LMIC uptake were also critical. 

Over 100 applications were received, with 34 selected for review by a panel of external experts. 

A first collaboration, with Premier Medical Corporation in India, was announced in January 2021. By July that year, additional technology transfer agreements were signed with stakeholders in Africa and Latin America.

These included an agreement with DCN Dx to transfer know-how to WAMA Diagnóstica (Brazil), and with Bionote and Mologic to transfer know-how to DIATROPIX of the Institut Pasteur de Dakar (Senegal). 

There is a separate partnership between Viatris (South Africa) and Guangzhou Wondfo Biotech (China).

These agreements will lead to a dramatic increase in local manufacturing, ultimately making more than 250 million low-cost (US$2–2.50) tests available for LMICs. 

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Featured Work - Awareness & Advocacy

EPI-WIN: Science for communities during health emergencies

WHO has established the Information Network for Epidemics (EPI-WIN) to provide timely scientific information on health emergencies and to co-create solutions through dialogue with affected communities.

EPI-WIN technical information includes updates and links to webinars, youth engagement, the COVID-19 infodemic and a COVID-19 transmission package.

Areas of work include:

  • Innovation for engagement
  • Networks
  • Norms and standards
  • Infodemic management.

This work involves translating science for better health emergency preparedness, and strengthening partnerships in the faith community.

Read more here