Distinguished participants, partners and colleagues,
A very warm welcome to all of you.
I am very pleased to join you here today because this is not only an important discussion, but also because diagnostics have been at the heart of my work from the early days of my career.
I would like to start by congratulating Thailand for officially finalizing its National Essential Diagnostics List (NEDL).
In doing so, Thailand now stands alongside India and Nepal as global leaders in this space:
India was the very first country in the world to develop a NEDL back in 2019—and is now also the first to update it.
Nepal was the third country globally to finalize its list.
And now, Thailand has further cemented SEARO’s leadership in essential diagnostics.
With these milestones, our region can proudly say that a majority of NEDLs finalized around the world are in Member States of South-East Asia.
I would also like to acknowledge the efforts of Timor-Leste, which is in the advanced stages of NEDL approval. Indonesia too has also worked diligently on their list, and now WHO has started supporting Myanmar in developing its list.
We also acknowledge the growing interest from Maldives and Bangladesh in developing their NEDLs, and I hope that this session today will be valuable for their journeys.
I am pleased to say that we are continuing to lead the way, as take a big step forward from developing to operationalizing NEDLs.
We are currently supporting Thailand in operationalizing its NEDL—and I would like to thank Thailand’s leadership for its commitment to this.
India has already set a global example through the integration of public health laboratories and its Free Diagnostics Initiative, improving access and quality at all levels of care.
And later this year, SEARO will join the ASEAN regional consultative meeting on NEDLs to showcase the region’s progress.
The progress we have made is against the backdrop of stark global challenges. According to the 2021 Lancet Commission on Diagnostics, only 19% of people in LMICs have access to basic diagnostics.
The World Health Assembly responded to this situation through Resolution 76.5 on strengthening diagnostics capacity, and the most recent resolution on strengthening imaging, giving us a strong mandate to act.
We are seeing new opportunities through promising innovations.
Teleradiology is being used in many countries in our region, with AI helping to distinguish between normal and abnormal cases. However, we need to streamline these systems for scale and sustainability.
As WHO, we intend to pilot telepathology in selected states in India, initially to verify test results and provide supportive supervision.
These technologies can help bridge gaps in access, but they require robust governance, interoperability, and capacity building.
SEARO’s collaborative approach has led to promise and progress.
Our teams work closely with the Access Subgroup on Diagnostics, anchored by the Health Technology Unit of HSD, and supported by colleagues from communicable diseases, NCDs, FGL, emergencies, and more.
Our recent study on NCD diagnostics in three Member States has revealed interesting insights for us to discuss and deliberate today.
Ultimately, diagnostics are more than tests—they are critical enablers of Universal Health Coverage, health security, and healthier populations.
I encourage you all to share your experiences, challenges, and innovations—so we can learn from each other and progress together.
I thank all countries and partners for your achievements and all your ongoing efforts.
As WHO, we are committed to supporting our Member States with technical guidance, knowledge exchange, and capacity building.
We look forward to the political commitments and investments that we need to succeed together, and to ensuring that SEARO continues to lead the world in essential diagnostics—ensuring health for all.
Thank you.