The availability of self-tests for detecting diseases like COVID-19, HIV, and hepatitis C is changing the nature of individual and health provider relationships. These tests enable individuals to take charge of managing their own health and can reduce barriers to accessing diagnostics.
Self-testing has the potential to advance health equity and speed progress toward universal health coverage. But because self-testing is typically performed outside of traditional testing services, it is meeting resistance from policymakers in a range of countries. Additionally, as the pandemic has highlighted, unequal access to self-tests can exacerbate health inequities. To increase confidence in the efficacy of self-testing, including proper follow up, trust must be established between manufacturers, patients, and ministries of health.
In this UJIYARA Live Forum, speakers will discuss the challenges in making COVID-19 self-tests available, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. They will also share lessons learned from self-testing for other disease areas, such as HIV and Hepatitis C, and explore how these lessons can be applied to close existing access and use gaps to transform healthcare.