São Tomé é Principe - National Essential Diagnostics List Development

National Essential Diagnostics List development – Cameroon, Gabon, and São Tomé e Príncipe

Date: March - July 2024

Location: Cameroon, Gabon, São Tomé e Príncipe

Client: African Society of Laboratory Medicine

Type of services:

Provided technical assistance to Cameroon, Gabon, and São Tomé e Príncipe in the development of their National Essential Diagnostics Lists (NEDLs) to strengthen diagnostic capacity for priority and outbreak-prone diseases.

Report(s):

[June 2024] DATOS is assisting Gabon, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Cameroon with development of a National Essential Diagnostics List (NEDL) for infectious diseases on behalf of the African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM). The project, led by Dr. Krystina Ngou and Dr. DIALLO Samba, is implemented with logistics and administration support and country high level engagement from Resolve To Save Lives and with co-funding from FIND.

DATOS uses a data driven approach, which includes mapping of the countries’ disease landscapes and diagnostic systems, to ensure that the NEDLs cover the countries' most prevalent and high-burden infectious diseases. The NEDLs were developed using the World Health Organization Model List of Essential In Vitro Diagnostics as well as information from Africa CDC guidance and GLASS (Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System).

This month, DATOS is facilitating workshops with the country stakeholders to validate their first draft NEDL. Tjeerd Datema has assisted Gabon and São Tomé and Príncipe with the validation of their NEDLs earlier this month.Linda Oskam is facilitating the validation workshop in Cameroon this week. This approach ensures that the NEDLs are optimally tailored to the countries’ disease landscapes and needs of the patients as well as disease surveillance priorities, and receive broad support from stakeholders across the diagnostic and health systems. The development of NEDLs for infectious diseases brings the countries one step closer to Universal Health Coverage and the implementation of the International Health Regulations.

Want to know more? Contact us!