Public health driven research and development is an often overlooked cornerstone of universal health coverage (UHC). The collective UHC agenda cannot be delivered without addressing the diagnostic and treatment technology gaps that hinder the effective treatment of patients, and are required to tackle the rising threat of drug resistance and for the sustainable elimination of infectious diseases, including hepatitis and NTDs.
Developing new tools, based on target product profiles (TPPs) that focus on public health priorities and principles of affordability, effectiveness, efficiency and equity, can significantly contribute to both individual health, and the quality and resilience of health systems, reducing waste, inefficiency and the burden of care.
Poor-quality care accounts for 60% of deaths from treatable conditions. The dearth of appropriate tools to assess, diagnose and treat the most vulnerable is a significant driver of poor quality health services. A key measure of UHC will therefore be the extent to which it provides quality health care to the most vulnerable: the poor, children, those with neglected or stigmatized diseases, other neglected populations.