Strengthening Medical Imaging Capacity: A World Health Assembly Resolution

Following the proposal of a draft resolution by Cameroon, several countries - including Armenia, Burkina Faso, Brazil, China, Ethiopia and Thailand - co-sponsored the text while consultations were coordinated by WHO's medical devices team lead. During its 156th session in February, the World Health Organization's Executive Board decided to recommend the draft's adoption by the 78th World Health Assembly. At its annual session in May, the Assembly subsequently adopted the resolution.

Under the terms of the resolution, the Assembly urges countries to promote access to medical imaging by implementing appropriate policies, strategies, programmes, norms and standards. Within their national contexts and circumstances, countries are to promote sustainable investments in imaging equipment, infrastructure, maintenance and quality management systems. Among other actions, they are also urged to strengthen training and education of a health workforce, ensure affordable and equitable access, and consider including medical imaging technologies within their national lists of devices for benefit packages or reimbursement schemes.

"To support the implementation of the imaging and diagnostics resolutions, the IAEA has joined the Global Diagnostics Coalition," noted May Abdel-Wahab, Director of the IAEA Division of Human Health and joint lead author of the Lancet Oncology Commission on Medical Imaging and Nuclear Medicine. Launched during a side event at the Assembly as a WHO-managed network, the Coalition serves as a collaborative platform to provide strategic direction and coordinate global efforts. "Through its human health programme, the IAEA will continue to provide its technical expertise and experience towards supporting countries in realizing safe, effective and high-quality medical imaging for all," Abdel-Wahab emphasized.