The WHO Publishes Updated Essential Diagnostics List

To address the lack of access to tests and testing services in multiple countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) published on January 29, 2021, a yearly essential diagnostics list (EDL), a basket of recommended in vitro diagnostics that should be available at point-of-care and in laboratories in all countries to increase timely and life-saving diagnoses.

The latest edition includes WHO-recommended COVID-19 tests (PCR and Antigen), expands the suite of tests for vaccine-preventable and infectious diseases and non-communicable diseases (such as cancer and diabetes), and introduces a section on endocrinology, which is important for reproductive and women’s health. For the first time, the list includes tests that should not be supplied in countries, either because they are not cost-effective, unreliable, or surpassed by newer, easier to use technologies.

‘Access to quality tests and laboratory services is like having a good radar system that gets you where you need to go. Without it, you’re flying blind,’ said WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, in a press statement. ‘All countries should pay particular attention to the diagnostics space and use the essential list to promote better health, keep their populations safe, and serve the vulnerable.’

The report follows the findings from the third meeting of the WHO Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on In-Vitro Diagnostics, which advises the Director-General of WHO in the area of diagnostics.