Nigeria gets first essential diagnostic list in Africa

Nigeria with the support of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has flagged off its national essential diagnostic list (NDEL), making it the first country to do so in Africa. Speaking during the ceremony in Abuja , Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, said Nigeria is also the second country to develop Essential Diagnostics List (EDL) […]

Nigeria with the support of the World Health Organisation (WHO) has flagged off its national essential diagnostic list (NDEL), making it the first country to do so in Africa.

Speaking during the ceremony in Abuja , Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire, said Nigeria is also the second country to develop Essential Diagnostics List (EDL) in the world following India.

The goal of an essential diagnostic list is to improve access to testing, diagnostic capacities during outbreak, affordability of test, regulation and quality of diagnostic tests.

The WHO Essential Diagnostic List (EDL) which was first published in 2018, is a list of recommended invitro diagnostics that should be available at point of care and is intended as a guidance document for countries to create their own national list based on their local context and needs.

Represented by the Director of Dentistry, Dr Bolanle Alonge, the minister said, “to ensure nationwide implementation of this important document, we have also ensured the approval of this guidance document at the Emergency meeting of the National Council on Health. By this, all states in the federation are encouraged to implement the use the document.”

WHO Country Representative , Dr Walter Kazadi Mulombo, said the Nigerian Essential Diagnostic List (NEDL) would benefit the whole of healthcare in the country.

Represented by the WHO Nigeria Public Health Emergency Advisor, Dr Alexander Chimbaru, he said the use of quality diagnostics is the first step in the strategies for treatment, control and prevention of disease outbreaks, adding that the Covid-19 pandemic has brought into focus this important role.

He said following increased recognitions of the importance of diagnostic testing in healthcare particularly as it plays major role towards achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC), WHO developed an Essential Diagnostics List (EDL) to address the lack of access to tests and testing services in many countries.

He said, “I encourage all the states and health facilities to use the National Essential Diagnostic List as this will not only improve the health system capacity to reach accurate diagnosis but will save heath resources wasted on inappropriate treatment and long stay in the hospital.”