India should strengthen its diagnostic capabilities

 16-Feb-17, ET Healthworld 

Lifestyle diseases are an epidemic now in our country. Better treatment options alone cannot help in fighting the growing lifestyle disease burden. Often, the earlier a disease is diagnosed, the more likely it is that it can be cured or successfully managed. Medical diagnostic tests intervene and help disease prevention at a stage when treatment and cure is possible and where the need for medication is limited.

Image: PATH

This makes continued innovation in diagnosis supremely important for delivering better health delivery standards and a healthier, disease free population. Thankfully there are several examples of the power of continued innovation in diagnostics. These innovations should be recognized, encouraged and rewarded.

A few examples:

• Blood tests and full blood count for anemia, infection and leukemia
• HbA1c a new blood test for diabetes and pre-diabetes
• Hemoglobin Isoelectric Focusing and Hemoglobin by HPLC for thalassemia
• Chemiluminescence immunoassay for thyroid function
• Xpert MTB/RIF nucleic acid amplification test for tuberculosis
• Nucleic acid amplification tests for malaria

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