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WHO and FIND Planning Meeting

WHO and FIND Planning Meeting

  • Probitas Foundation travelled to Geneva to meet with the two organizations and establish ties to develop a work strategy to tackle Neglected Tropical Diseases
From 9-11 January the Director of the Foundation, Marta Segú; the Manager of the GLI (Global Laboratory Initiative) projects, Mercè Claret; and the Project Manager of the ICP (International Cooperation Projects), Javier Zulueta; went to Geneva to meet with the team at the department of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD) of the WHO (World Health Organization) and the team at the FIND (Foundation for Innovative New Diagnostics) to address possible avenues of cooperation between Probitas and the two organizations during the new phase beginning in 2018.

2018 Call for proposals
Probitas, continuing with its main line of action based on supporting initiatives that contribute to significantly improving the health of beneficiary populations in developing countries, in 2018 aims to focus on supporting projects that address in a comprehensive manner the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and monitoring of Neglected Tropical Diseases.

This strategic decision made by the Foundation will enable it to channel all its knowledge and efforts towards the achievement of a single objective: making better use of resources and generating a greater impact on the beneficiary population. In this way, Probitas joins the WHO's global effort to control, eliminate and eradicate some NTDs in 2020. In addition, the Foundation has added to the list of the 20 NTDs malaria, HIV/AIDS, and Tuberculosis, as it considers them diseases with a highly negative impact on developing countries. At the same time, it will continue along the lines set down by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

Probitas, WHO and Geneva
At the meeting with the WHO the issues addressed included the importance of the GLI Model, focused on improving prevention, early detection and innovation in treatment as part of the fight against NTDs, in collaboration with other international organisations running joint programs. Concern was expressed about the scant investment being made in the diagnosis of this set of diseases, and the lack of global understanding when it comes to raising awareness about the need to create and validate new tools and strategies for access to diagnosis. Both sides shared their points of common ground and the areas in which they can work together.

It should be noted that the WHO cooperates with all the member states to provide "support for their development in the field of health. In addition, it works with other international organizations through technical collaborations and in the implementation of health strategies, as well as towards the fulfilment of collective commitments made globally, as is the case with the Sustainable Development Goals.

Probitas, FIND and Geneva
The meeting with the FIND team,
meanwhile, allowed for an exchange of knowledge, experiences on the ground, and the establishment of common objectives to initiate joint projects. FIND defined its two main lines of action, which consist of the development of new tools for the diagnosis of diseases that affect countries with low incomes, and access to these tools of diagnosis by the most vulnerable populations. One of the points underscored was the project addressing Visceral Leishmaniosis in Kenya, which FIND already has up and running, and wants to expand to two more provinces in the country. At the meeting FIND stressed the value of the "GLI Model", which is in accord with its lines of action and intervention strategies.

FIND is a non-profit that focuses on addressing the diagnosis of diseases linked to poverty, NTDs, guiding the first step in treatment. To this end they pursue the overall improvement of health through the application of their know-how, emphasising the values of responsibility, ethics and integrity in each of the actions they carry out.

Both meetings made it possible to confirm the added value furnished by Probitas and its comprehensive intervention model to improve health in the most vulnerable populations. This exchange of experiences and experience will also make possible improvement in the entire process of programme orientation, development and evaluation, through which Probitas aims to be a global leader in the diagnosis of neglected diseases, in collaboration with other international organisations already working in this field.

In this way Probitas Foundation continues to strengthen links with partners in the Global Health sector, to bolster its line of action in those territories that are affected by neglected diseases and improve the lives of people living in these most vulnerable regions.
 

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