WHO Initiative: Bridging Healthcare Gaps in South-East Asia with Enhanced Medical Device Accessibility

The WHO South-East Asia Region is taking a significant step to ensure equitable access to quality medical devices through an integrated life-cycle approach. Member States have agreed on a resolution to improve planning, regulation, procurement, and management of medical devices, setting concrete actions for 2027-2030.

The World Health Organization's South-East Asia Region has announced a new commitment aimed at improving equitable access to quality-assured and affordable medical devices, including in vitro diagnostics (IVDs) and assistive technologies. The approach will span from planning and regulation to procurement, maintenance, and safe decommissioning.

For the first time, Member States at a WHO Regional Committee discussed medical devices as a separate agenda and passed a resolution delineating time-bound actions to enhance national systems for managing such technologies. By 2027, countries will assign a national lead unit to oversee the life-cycle management of medical devices and IVDs.

The resolution mandates national baseline assessments by 2028 to address service and diagnostic gaps, and by 2030, nations will develop costed implementation plans, integrating essential diagnostics and priority devices into healthcare service packages. WHO will support these initiatives with a regional implementation framework and assist countries in regulatory benchmarking and cooperation.