Building healthcare capacity and increasing access to diagnostics for HIV/AIDS, TB, Hepatitis, Cervical Cancer, COVID-19
Active Since: 2014
Contributing to SDGs…




Recognising that diagnostics is an integral component for functioning health systems, Roche launched the Global Access Program in 2014 to enable sustainable access to world-class diagnostics to help prevent, diagnose, monitor and/or manage disease - no matter who they are or where they live.
By working together with international agencies, non-governmental organizations and governments at the global, regional and local level, we take a holistic and collaborative approach to improve health system diagnostic capacity and improve patient outcomes in low- and low-middle income countries (LMICs). Our goal is to use innovative solutions and leverage world-class expertise to establish diagnostics as a frontline defence against diseases such as HIV/AIDs, Tuberculosis (TB), Hepatitis B and C (HBV and HCV), COVID-19 and Human Papillomavirus (HPV)/ Cervical cancer.
MEMBER COMPANIES
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Roche
Company Profile
PARTNER ORGANISATIONS
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Bilateral Organisations
US President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)
US Agency for International Development (USAID)
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Global NGOs
Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI)
Union for International Cancer Control (UICC)
City Cancer Challenge
Jhpiego
FHI360
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Government
Ministries of Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
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Intergovernmental Organizations and Multilaterals
UNAIDS
Unitaid
Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
UNICEF
UNFPA
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Professional and trade associations
African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM)
Objectives
What are the health needs and challenges?
1. www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)00673-5/fulltext
Partnership activities and how they address needs and challenges
In 2014, Roche announced the Global Access Program in partnership with USAID, PEPFAR, CHAI and the Global Fund, to increase access to HIV viral load tests for monitoring anti-retroviral treatment efficacy and HIV tests for early infant diagnosis (EID).
In 2019, the program was expanded to include diagnostic tests for MTB, HBV, HCV and HPV/ cervical cancer, and more recently, COVID-19, to help mitigate the burden of these diseases where the need is highest.
Since its inception, the Global Access Program aims to provide increased access to diagnostic solutions in high-burden disease areas. Roche provides affordable pricing to national governments, funders, international agencies, non-profit organisations and local healthcare facilities for use in the public sector in eligible countries, alongside working with partners to deliver comprehensive solutions along the patient pathway.
From the outset, the program was designed to provide end-to-end, sustainable solutions that would go beyond providing reduced pricing of diagnostic and monitoring tests. This includes spanning the healthcare spectrum: from disease awareness and education, training healthcare workers and building health infrastructure, through to increasing access to diagnosis and linkage to treatment for improved disease management.
To address the shortage of trained healthcare workers, in 2012 Roche opened the Roche Scientific Campus in Soth Africa to provide training on the African continent such as:
– hands-on, certified training courses for lab technologists and engineers
– general lab management training for managers and policy makers
– education on health and scientific topics for healthcare professionals and scientists
The facility boasts five self-contained laboratories with the latest technological tools in chemistry, haematology, molecular biology, tissue diagnostics and sequencing. Training is conducted by certified trainers and experts, in collaboration with local and international organisations.
To address some of the wider access challenges, Roche has developed innovative tools specifically for LMICs. To address sample collection challenges, the cobas® Plasma Separation Card, which is the size of a credit card, requires only a small amount of blood from a fingertip and can be posted to the testing laboratory. This enables reliable testing of patients living in remote areas – even in areas of extreme heat and humidity.To address return of results to the patient, loss to follow up and treatment adherence challenges, iThemba Life, a mobile health application, delivers HIV viral load results, education, reminders, and clinical support directly to user’s smartphones, empowering people living with HIV to remain adherent to treatment and engaged in care.
We are now exploring how we can use our experience, knowledge, and networks to more holistically work across the various therapeutic silos. For example, to utilise existing HIV programs to screen for Hepatitis, MTB, or HPV, as well as think more broadly around areas such as women’s health.
By working alongside the members of the global health community and with a continued focus on Public-Private Partnerships, Roche is committing its efforts to meet WHO’s various 2030 elimination goals.
SDGs THE PARTNERSHIP CONTRIBUTES TO

SDG 3: Good Health and Wellbeing
- 3.2: Reduce Under-5 Mortality
- 3.3: Communicable Diseases & NTDs
- 3.8: Achieve universal health coverage
- 3.C: Health workforce

SDG 5: Gender Equality
SDG 9: Industry Innovation and Infrastructure

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals
RESULTS & MILESTONES
In 2022, over 8 million people in Africa used our viral load testing to manage their HIV infection and to date over 11 million babies have been tested for HIV with Roche tests.
Since 2015, we have trained over 8300 laboratory professionals, covering 103 training courses and workshops, across 18 countries.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
https://diagnostics.roche.com/global/en/article-listing/global-access-program.html
EXTERNAL RESEARCH
Geographic Reach
Africa
- Algeria
- Angola
- Benin
- Botswana
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Cabo Verde
- Cameroon
- Central African Republic
- Chad
- Comoros
- Congo
- Côte d'Ivoire
- Democratic Republic of the Congo
- Eritrea
- Ethiopia
- Gabon
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Kenya
- Lesotho
- Liberia
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Rwanda
- Sao Tome and Principe
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- South Africa
- South Sudan
- Swaziland
- Togo
- Uganda
- United Republic of Tanzania
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
Americas
- Bolivia (Plurinational State of)
- Dominican Republic
- El Salvador
- Guatemala
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Nicaragua
- Paraguay
Eastern Mediterranean
- Afghanistan
- Djibouti
- Egypt
- Pakistan
- Somalia
- Sudan
- Syrian Arab Republic
- West Bank and Gaza
- Yemen
Europe
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- Georgia
- Kazakhstan
- Kosovo
- Kyrgyzstan
- Republic of Moldova
- Tajikistan
- Turkmenistan
- Ukraine
- Uzbekistan
South-East Asia
- Bangladesh
- Bhutan
- India
- Indonesia
- Myanmar
- Nepal
- Sri Lanka
- Timor-Leste
Western Pacific
- Cambodia
- Fiji
- Lao People's Democratic Republic
- Marshall Islands
- Micronesia (Federated States of)
- Papua New Guinea
- Philippines
- Samoa
- Solomon Islands
- Tonga
- Tuvalu
- Vanuatu
- Viet Nam
Disease Area
Infectious and Parasitic Disease
- Tuberculosis
- HIV/AIDS
- Hepatitis C