Novartis Foundation healthcare models and disease elimination programs showcased at ECTMIH
  • Telemedicine pilot in rural Ghana demonstrated positive impact and improved primary health services as reported by nurses, midwives and patients

  • Retrospective contact tracing of former leprosy patients in Cambodia was effective in reducing disability of new patients through earlier diagnosis

  • Electronic supportive supervision of healthcare professionals in Tanzania helped to identify major quality gaps and showed quick improvements in skills

  • First mobile phone-facilitated leprosy detection system helps identify patients in remote areas of the Philippines

Basel, September 7, 2015 - The Novartis Foundation and its partners will highlight progress towards transforming the health of the poorest populations at the 9th European Congress on Tropical Medicine and International Health (ECTMIH) held in Basel from September 6 - 10. Updates on nine Novartis Foundation-sponsored healthcare delivery models and disease elimination programs in low- and middle-income countries will be showcased in scientific sessions and sponsored-symposia.

"The ECTMIH is a great opportunity to join with our partners and the global health community to review the progress we are making in the innovation of healthcare delivery and disease elimination. It`s an exciting time for us as we are seeing projects such as Telemedicine in Ghana move towards scale and integration into the local health system as well as new projects, such as our leprosy contact tracing strategy, begin to gain momentum," said Dr. Ann Aerts, Head of the Novartis Foundation.

Novartis Foundation-sponsored projects presented at ECTMIH scientific sessions:

  • Identifying and addressing structural gaps in primary health care in Tanzania (Abstract 1390, September 7, 15:30 CET)

  • Ghana telemedicine - using mHealth to bridge the gaps in health service and availability and accessibility (Abstract 218, September 8, 15:30 CET)

  • Cambodia retrospective contact tracing project: innovation in contact tracing to improve early diagnosis of leprosy (Abstract 773, September 9, 10:30 CET)

  • Leprosy alert response network and surveillance system (LEARNS): Iloilo implementation (Abstract 570, September 9, 10:30 CET)

  • Evaluation of a community based program for hypertension control in Ghana (Abstract 610, September 9, 12:15 CET)

  • Public-private partnerships to strengthen human resources for health through training and eLearning: a case study from Tanzania (Abstract 1018, September 9, 12:15)

Novartis-sponsored symposia at ECTMIH

  • On the road to malaria elimination: where we have come from and what challenges lie ahead? (September 7, 12:00) Co-sponsored by the Novartis Malaria Initiative, the Novartis Institute for Tropical Disease and the Novartis Foundation

  • Digital Health on the Ground (September 8, 17:00) Sponsored by the Novartis Foundation