The WHO is also promoting disruptive innovations in field of TB. A disruptive innovation is an innovation that creates a new market and value network and eventually disrupts an existing market and value network, displacing established market leading firms, products and alliances.
The WHO is hoping that disruptive innovations could lead to integrated solutions for future TB diagnostics connected through computers with health centres. Efforts around big-data revolution and transforming precision medicine into precision public health give hope. "It is important to find a balance between the need to have a standard approach, because that is what programmes are good at, and personalized approach. We have now the tools that are conducive to that, if countries start implementing what they have to implement," said Dr Raviglione.
Is TB everyone's business?
23 years back in 1993, the WHO had declared TB a global emergency. Also it is important to note that evidence is mounting on how TB is integrated to overall health and development indices. Despite this, progress on making TB everyone's agenda has been, at best, sketchy.
"What we did not manage to do in past many years is to raise the notion of TB as the main infectious-disease killer at the level it deserves to be. That means discussing only with ministers of health was a limitation, because, barring a few exceptions, usually they have limited power -- they do not control financing, as in most cases that is the decision of the Prime Minister or Minister of Finance. So what we did not succeed in was to elevate TB to that level. And this is sad," remarked Dr Raviglione. "The civil society, NGOs, academic institutions, the WHO, and others, have not done a good job in pushing TB on the agenda of those who make decisions. This is what has caused the delays sometimes for the slow progress we have seen. Now this is not acceptable anymore because we have new tools."
Sustainable-development agenda cannot ignore TB
"We have been talking for a while to speak about TB in the context of sustainable-development agenda in a multifactorial and intersectorial type of way. In particular we are trying to convince the member States to have a special session at the UN General Assembly next year. We at WHO are constantly promoting a Global Ministerial Conference hosted by the Russian Federation during 16-17 November 2017," shared Dr Raviglione.
This Global Ministerial Conference could be a pivotal event as it is not only aiming to engage ministers of health globally but also ministers of other sectors such as finance, justice, prison, among others. "We really want clear plans and pledges by every country, especially high burden counties, at this conference," hopes Dr Mario Raviglione.
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