Roche Diagnostics Africa has launched Integration Accelerated, a new initiative that uses existing lab infrastructure to expand access to testing for TB, HIV, HPV, and Hepatitis B and C across the continent.
The continent-focused arm of the Swiss multinational healthcare company unveiled the initiative on World TB Day, which was observed on Tuesday, highlighting its approach of using established HIV testing platforms to support additional disease testing.
TB remains the world’s deadliest infectious disease, with 10.7-million cases and 1.23-million deaths globally in 2024. Africa carries a significant share of this burden, and many cases go undiagnosed. The close link between TB and HIV adds to the complexity of care in the region.
Roche says the initiative will help countries expand testing and improve lab efficiency without extra investment.
“In 2025, the world stopped funding the old way of doing health. In 2026, Roche launches a new way,” said Allan Pamba, executive vice-president for Roche Diagnostics Africa.
“We aim to make Integration Accelerated the catalyst for countries across Africa to increase their impact within the realities of budget constraints.”
According to Roche, as resources become more constrained, accelerating progress will depend on how effectively existing technologies and infrastructure are used to expand access and strengthen care delivery.
The initiative is aligned with growing national priorities across Africa, where health systems are increasingly focused on scalable, cost-effective solutions that support long-term resilience and improved patient outcomes.
“Integration Accelerated helps countries break the vertical, donor-driven silos to build resilient, integrated health systems of the future,” said Pamba.
“By integrating TB, HPV, and Hepatitis testing onto the extensive footprint of HIV instruments already in place, it turns spare capacity into timely life-saving diagnostic results and enables holistic patient care.”
The programme’s access model is designed to generate savings for ministries of health while providing a menu of technical assistance that can be tailored to individual country contexts.
By optimising existing diagnostic capacity, Roche said Integration Accelerated will drive cost-efficiency across multiple disease areas and support countries in implementing integrated care more effectively.
With Africa having made notable progress in TB prevention with new cases down 28% and deaths falling 46% since 2015, Pamba noted: “As countries continue to strengthen their TB responses, integration offers a clear and practical pathway to expand access, improve efficiency and support more coordinated results for patients.”
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