News from the World Health Organisation, and from the Global Diagnostics Alliance to the World Health Organisation Global Forum on Medical Devices

Posted on 05.06.2025

On 21 May 2025, the Global Diagnostics Coalition was officially launched during a side event at the 78th World Health Assembly (WHA78). The Global Medical Technology Alliance (GMTA) welcomes this important milestone, marking a significant step forward in global collaboration to improve patient access to diagnostics and drive innovation. The Coalition will serve as a collaborative platform and convening body, bringing together stakeholders to provide strategic direction and coordinate efforts to strengthen diagnostics capacity worldwide.

This week has also been an important and exciting one, with the 5th World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Forum on Medical Devices, held virtually from Geneva from 2 to 4 June 2025. The forum pursues four core objectives: identifying ways to improve access to essential medical devices; sharing country-level best practices in regulation, assessment, and management of medical devices; showcasing innovative technologies aligned with global health priorities; and promoting WHO tools and guidelines for effective implementation.

The WHO has curated a comprehensive programme covering a wide range of topics—including medical device information systems, innovation, regulation, health technology assessment and management, sustainability, local production, essential in vitro diagnostics, and more. All programme details and resources are available here.

As a highlight of the Forum’s first day, MedTech Europe, in collaboration with GMTA, was pleased to present a video illustrating what is a medical device.

For more information, please contact Diana Kanecka, Director International Affairs.