Ethiopia: UNAIDS Mission Presents Health Innovations. Delegation Meets the Minister of Health, Amir Abiy

Innovation in healthcare to guarantee the right to health with more effective approaches and tools even in less developed countries. This is what the Health Innovation Exchange proposed in Ethiopia after the success last May of the initiative promoted by UNAIDS as part of the annual assembly of the World Health Organization in Geneva.

The delegation of representatives from 20 innovations selected worldwide will be headed by UNAIDS. The only Italian company present is P&P Patents & Technologies Group and their product, Retrago. From September 3 to 6, the company met with high-level representatives of the Ethiopian government, including Health Minister Amir Abiy, professionals from the healthcare sector, and local and international investors and entrepreneurs.

“We appreciate the support that UNAIDS guarantees to our country very much,” said Minister Abiy on the use of innovation in healthcare – in particular in the diagnosis of tuberculosis, HIV and hepatitis B – to accelerate access to health services and encourage the vision of sustainable development.

UNAIDS’ mission focuses on understanding the political environment and the needs and priorities of Ethiopia in the healthcare sector with the aim of linking them to innovations in health that could have a high impact on the country and facilitate investment opportunities. In particular, it hopes to effectively address the fight against AIDS and tuberculosis by improving health systems with innovative infrastructures.

During the meetings, there was talk about the production of pharmaceutical and health products using solar energy and employing it in healthcare facilities and digital health development as well. This could buffer the problem of staff shortages in Ethiopia.

The visit, the result of UNAIDS’ commitment to supporting the use of innovation to accelerate access to healthcare services in developing countries, too, has enabled the launch of collaborations that will lead to partnerships between international and local actors, in both the public and private sectors, in order to promote innovative solutions and investments in health.

This was made possible thanks to constructive dialogue with the Ethiopian government to intensify efforts for sustainable development in healthcare through the transfer of technologies and innovations, and encouraging local production.