Introduction:
Diagnostics are essential to quality Universal Health Coverage. Without accurate diagnosis, inappropriate treatments may be provided, wasting scarce economic resources, and leading to worse health outcomes. Diagnostics have been a neglected component of the health system in low and middle income countries (LMICs) until recently. Recent efforts have focused on diagnostics for infectious disease, however non-communicable diseases are beginning to overtake infectious disease as a cause of premature mortality in LMICs. The World Health Organization issued in May 2018 the Essential Diagnostics List, forty years after the first Essential Medicines List (EML). Much work remains to be done to expand the list and to make the two lists consistent (for example, the EML contains basic chemotherapy drugs, however the initial Essential Diagnostics List does not contain any histopathology tests). There are important steps required to make diagnostics more readily available, such as prequalification of products by WHO. This workshop will assess the current state of diagnostics in LMICs (both laboratory medicine and radiology) and examine how to improve access to diagnostics. Participants who have accepted our invitation including leading experts in laboratory medicine, radiology and surgery in LMICs, as well as health policymakers, patient advocates, and experts in health economists, health systems and health policy. The outcome of this collaboration will lead to a published Lancet Commission on Diagnostics, as well as individual research papers.