Central roles for international agencies and the private sector

“A lot of the discussion has been on the fragmentation of the regulatory framework in Africa. If 23 countries are going to use 23 different regulatory frameworks, the magnitude for the investment for manufacturers to develop devices and drugs relevant to each individual market is going to be prohibitive. Governments need to find ways to de-risk, to a point, the early cycle of private sector engagements.”

— Arnaud Bernaert, Senior Director
of Global Health and Healthcare

World Economic Forum

“It's a multi-sectoral approach. NCDs cannot be fought in isolation. Everyone has a very key role and I think to achieve the targets that have been set out in the given timeframe, we have to come together as one.”

— Sameer Pujari,
Manager and Co-Founder of the Be Healthy
Be Mobile Initiative World Health Organization

Like many other global development challenges, building strong healthcare systems capable of detecting and diagnosing NCDs will require innovative partnerships. Health professionals agree that a coordinated and sustained effort for businesses, NGOs, local authorities, and civil society to join forces to improve health systems is the only way to manage the growing NCD burden. The majority of survey respondents believe that a cross-sector approach is critical to a strong primary health care system.

93%

of survey respondents believe cross-sector partnerships between government, NGOs, and the private sector are critical to a strong primary healthcare system that can prevent, detect, and treat NCDs.

"Donors, like the World Bank and Gates Foundation, can provide the financing in order to introduce and scale up diagnostic technology. At the World Bank, we are trying to identify successful approaches and share that knowledge with governments."

— Andreas Seiter,
Senior Health Specialist 

World Bank

Health professionals believe the international agencies and government should prioritize access, awareness, and prevention in the fight against NCDs, followed by funding, early detection, diagnosis, and universal health coverage, primary care, and medications. They say that international donors and foreign aid agencies can and should provide the financing in order to introduce and scale-up diagnostic technology, determine successful approaches, and share that knowledge with governments. Multilateral institutions, such as WHO, are best positioned to take a more regional approach by standardizing regulatory frameworks that facilitate regional integration and can pave the way for private sector engagement.

“When it comes to private sector in other areas, I think there is a big opportunity to all the time be improving diagnostic tools and kits to make diagnosis easier and available for people. There’s been a big focus on new and expensive drugs and perhaps less focus on easy diagnostic tools, and kits.”

Health professionals see a diverse and important role for the private sector and welcome private sector companies to the table. They stress that companies involved in health care should continue to take a long-term view by accepting risk and investing early in diagnostics knowing that this tactic will ultimately open up future markets. Survey respondents cite specific areas of private sector engagement and expertise, including research and development, clinical trials, technology, data analytics, regulatory support, supply-chain and overall market disruption. But they say private sector companies can also address the commercial determinants of health, contribute funding and services, promote NCD awareness and healthy lifestyles, and provide screening, early detection, and diagnosis capacity.

— Nicholas Banatvala, Senior Advisor -
Secretariat of the UN Interagency Task
Force on the Prevention and Control of 

NCDs World Health Organization

What do you believe is the most important and impactful role of the private sector in the fight against NCDs?

Promoting NCD awareness and healthy lifestyle

21%

Funding / Donating / Contributing

resources and services

26%

14%

11%

12%

14%

Screening, 

early detection, 

and diagnosis

Treatment

Collaborating 

with governments, 

NGOs, and other 

stakeholders

Spearheading 

innovations, 

technology,

research,

development