Opening Plenary

American Leprosy Missions' Stefanie Weiland will introduce the 5th NTD Innovation Prize.

Time: 9:00-10:45 Local Time

Global perspectives for mainstreaming NTD services into national health insurance schemes and improving universal health coverage

This session will provide an overview of UHC within the context of NTDs. Speakers will share examples from Africa and Asia where activities have been implemented related to community led advocacy, assessing the integration of NTD services into the UHC package of benefits and initiating policy dialogues to further mainstream NTDs into the UHC package of benefits. Participants will engage in breakouts to share experiences and other examples of UHC activities, including sustainability and financing. 

Time: 14:15 Local Time 

Innovate to eliminate - lessons drawn across NTDs

As more and more countries reach the point at which they have implemented years and years of MDA, new tools have been developed to identify areas that can scale back treatment and move to surveillance. Such innovative tools include the TIS+ for trachoma, elimination mapping for onchocerciasis, and integrated iTAS and impact assessment for schistosomiasis. The session starts with a presentation of these new survey strategies and explores the ways in which experiences can be used by programs as they reach the last mile. Interpreting the outputs of these tools and prioritizing the finite resources in both areas that continue to prove a challenge but also other areas that scale back interventions. 

Time: 16:30 Local Time 

Bringing primary healthcare home

Strengthening health systems at the national and subnational levels for sustainable NTD services 

This workshop will share results and lessons learned from four countries in Africa that are working to strengthen health systems at the national and subnational levels to sustainably achieve their NTD goals. At the national level the countries have conducted sustainability assessments and developed sustainability plans, which they are now implementing. At the district or local level, they are engaging with decentralized planning and budgeting processes to allocate resources for priority NTD services. 

Time: 16:30 Local Time 

From Policy to Practice: Cross-sectoral approaches to integrate NTDs into routine health services

The rapid fire aims to explore case studies from Guinea and Senegal on integrating NTD case detection, prevention, treatment, and management services into existing primary healthcare service delivery structures. The case studies will showcase the stages of developing, piloting, and scaling up innovative approaches that leverage community and facility-based service delivery platforms. This session will build on the workshop session from the 2022 NNN annual conference which presented the development of the approach in Guinea and Senegal. 

Time: 14:49 Local Time 

Advancing health equity for refugee populations in Niger through integration of trachoma program prevention into routine health services

This session explores how The Programme National pour la Santé Oculaire (PNSO) in Niger has developed a strategy to expand trachoma prevention to the Sayam refugee camp. It will present the cross sectoral approach that was used to define the MDA in the camp, the results of the pilot in Sayam, and opportunities for scale up to other refugee camps in the country. 

Time: 15:09 Local Time 

Technical Innovation & Solutions

This Rapid Fire will be hosted by American Leprosy Missions. 

Time: 14:15-15:45 Local Time 

Closing Plenary

American Leprosy Missions' Melissa Edmiston will award the 5th NTD Innovation Prize.

Time: 16:00-17:00 Local Time