Resources

With over 35 years of experience in diagnostics development, PATH provides technical support for end-to-end diagnostics development to ensure that quality-assured, fit-for-purpose diagnostics are available and affordable to people and communities in low-resource settings.

Implementing diagnostic testing with rapid tests in parallel with a quality assurance (QA) program reinforces the validity of the test results, builds the capacity to use rapid tests for surveillance and research, and aligns with global guidance and best practices for the post-market surveillance of new diagnostic tools.

In Myanmar, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have been recognized as a public health priority in the National Health Plan (NHP) (2011–2016). The NCD screening Response led by Community (NCR) project in Myanmar is dedicated to tackling the high prevalence of NCDs in the country. The project aims to enhance access to prevention, treatment, and care for NCDs through local engagement and the utilization of digital health solutions.PATH is providing valuable technical support and capacity-building to health care providers and community volunteers, focusing on NCDs and mental health. PATH is also providing comprehensive training programs for community volunteers, empowering them to conduct screenings and make referrals for NCD patients at the community level.In this brief, we talk about how improved access to prevention, treatment, and care for NCDs as part of PHC through local ownership and engagement guided by digital health and technical support has reduced premature morbidity and mortality due to NCDs.

In early 2023, the World Health Organization (WHO) Executive Board recommended to the seventy-sixth World Health Assembly the adoption of the resolution on increasing access to medical oxygen. The draft decision was submitted by Uganda and co-sponsored by Australia, Bangladesh, the Central African Republic, the European Union and its 27 member states, Kenya, and Turkey.This resolution recognizes and reaffirms the critical role of medical oxygen in resilient health systems planning and in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals for health. It upholds the urgency of sustaining investment in oxygen production and supply and calls on global stakeholders and national governments to continue alignment and coordination, including on policies and guidelines, technical documents, and training.

In Kenya’s Kakamega County, citizen-led social accountability projects and data-driven advocacy led by the Kakamega County Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health Civil Society Organizations Alliance (MNCH Alliance), with support from PATH, have created a sustainable model for holding local decision-makers accountable and significantly improved health outcomes and quality of care for women and children in the county.