Investing in Community-Based Approaches against Infectious Diseases

Strengthening health systems against infectious diseases is at the core of our purpose: breakthroughs that change patients' lives. In partnership with global health stakeholders and through our programs and investments, we are unlocking transformative and sustainable solutions for today’s challenges to help ensure a healthier tomorrow.

That’s why today, the Pfizer Foundation* announced 20 grants to help non-governmental organizations (NGOs), non-profits and social enterprises address critical health challenges related to infectious diseases, including the increasing threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), in some of the world’s most vulnerable communities. Globally, infectious diseases are responsible for an estimated 8.4 million deaths annually and are a leading cause of death worldwide, particularly among young children and marginalized populations in underserved communities,¹ often perpetuating the cycle of poverty.

Caroline Roan, President of the Pfizer Foundation, shared her perspective on Pfizer’s ongoing commitment to working with local individuals and organizations to scale innovative solutions to fight infectious diseases and providing effective solutions to those patients most in need:

Launched in 2016, the Global Health Innovation Grants (GHIG) program has had incredible impact to date: 370,000 new patients have received care, 160,000 have been reached with screening and education, and 2,000 health workers have been trained. With the inclusion of this cohort of grants, total funding to date by the GHIG program totals $7.5 million.

The 20 organizations included in this year’s cohort of grants each take a community-tailored approach to finding and scaling sustainable solutions to overcome infectious diseases. There is a strong focus across the grants on strengthening local healthcare systems and building capacity, including through primary healthcare delivery and the integration of innovative health technologies in low-resource settings. Examples include:

• The expansion of a clinical staff training program by Muso in Mali will support clinicians at government-run health centers to improve quality of care as it relates to infectious disease, maternal and child health, and core clinical issues driving preventable deaths such as childhood pneumonia, malaria and maternal hemorrhage;
• The launch of UE LifeSciences’ new innovation cervAIcal, an artificial intelligence-enabled, hand-held, wireless mobile colposcope to aid health workers and healthcare providers in detecting precancerous lesions at the point of care in regions of India with limited infrastructure; and
• Group for Technical Assistance in Nepal will develop, implement and evaluate Global Learning in Anti-Microbial Resistance, an e-learning platform and web-based information repository containing curriculum to set up AMR programs in health facilities across the country, including opportunities for live communication and mentoring via webinars with health providers.

This new GHIG cohort demonstrates Pfizer’s continued commitment to infectious disease and supports Pfizer’s ongoing efforts to reduce health disparities.

Learn more about the 20 organizations in the infectious disease GHIG cohort:

2020 MicroClinic (Kenya); Afya Research Africa (ARA) (Kenya); Care 2 Communities (Haiti); Fundación Vive Con Bienestar – Bive (Colombia); Group for Technical Assistance (Nepal); Health Builders (Rwanda); Jacaranda Health (Kenya); Last Mile Health (Liberia); LifeNet International (Uganda); Muso (Mali); NAYA JEEVAN for Kids (Pakistan); North Star Alliance (Sub-Saharan Africa); One Family Health (Rwanda); Penda Health (Kenya); Possible Health (Nepal); Society for Nutrition, Education, and Health Action (SNEHA) (India); Swasth Foundation (India); THINKMD (Nigeria); UE LifeSciences (UELS) (India); Unjani Clinics NPC (South Africa).

*The Pfizer Foundation is a charitable organization established by Pfizer Inc. It is a separate legal entity from Pfizer Inc. with distinct legal restrictions.

¹Global Burden of Disease Tool [Data set], University of Washington, Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, Global Health Data Exchange, 2019. Accessed July 16, 2019 from http://ghdx.healthdata.org/gbd-results-tool.

Image provided by Possible Health. Credit: Dharma Raj Kadayat, Senior Communications Associate, Possible Health