When Diagnostics are No Longer an Afterthought – The Max Foundation
The Max Foundation shared a post on LinkedIn:
” ‘Nobody wants to diagnose a patient just to tell them there’s no treatment,’ our CEO Pat Garcia-Gonzalez explains when talking about the importance of diagnostics.
Access to treatment creates a catalyst for stronger, more resilient health systems.
For example, in Congo this year, Professor Lydie Ngolet at the Centre Hospitalier et Universitaire de Brazzaville lead efforts for streamlining the diagnosis of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). For years, patients waited weeks—sometimes months—for test results from labs abroad. Many were lost to follow-up. Others faced delayed treatment. The result? 52% treatment failure and 10% high-risk classification.
But Professor Lydie asked: Could we repurpose our underused GeneXpert machine to run local tests for CML?
We assessed the opportunity, and kits were delivered to the hospital. But a new challenge quickly emerged: no laboratory technicians had been trained to perform testing using the equipment. Once again, Professor Lydie reached out asking if support could be extended. After months of collaboration and coordination, a virtual training was organized with the generous support of experts from the Cepheid team. Just one week later, the first batch of molecular tests was successfully conducted in Congo!
This is what happens when advocacy meets action. When global partnerships empower local innovation. And when diagnostics are no longer an afterthought.
- Faster diagnoses
- Timely treatment decisions
- Improved patient outcomes
- A health system strengthened from within
Let’s keep pushing for equitable access to diagnostics everywhere. Because early intervention extends lives.”
More posts featuring The Max Foundation.
-
Challenging the Status Quo in Colorectal Cancer 2024
December 6-8, 2024
-
ESMO 2024 Congress
September 13-17, 2024
-
ASCO Annual Meeting
May 30 - June 4, 2024
-
Yvonne Award 2024
May 31, 2024
-
OncoThon 2024, Online
Feb. 15, 2024
-
Global Summit on War & Cancer 2023, Online
Dec. 14-16, 2023