End of the year letter from Hoseah and Frida

We come to the end of another proud year for our organization. With your support, we have had achieved more milestones in advocacy and awareness-raising for the benefit of people living with psoriatic disease.

This year, we targeted a critical topic: universal health coverage and access to care. We have heard moving stories from each of your countries about the successes and flaws of your local health systems. Everyone living with psoriatic disease has the right to safe, affordable, and effective treatment without delay. It is clear that we have not yet achieved this universal standard. In fact, the differences between countries are alarming.

It is not a problem that will be solved in one year. Still, our work together over these past 12 months has brought us closer to our goal. IFPA attended the 76th World Health Assembly in May, the United Nations High-Level Meeting on UHC in June, and the United Nations General Assembly in September, all to advocate for universal health coverage. We participated in Rare Disease Day to ensure that rare forms of psoriatic disease would not be left behind. Together, we raised our voices on World Psoriasis Day to draw attention to the need for access to psoriatic disease care. IFPA produced a report on “Strengthening Global Commitments to UHC for Psoriatic Disease” and published practical tools such as the Template Letter to A Politician. These resources are designed to support members in your national actions to promote access to care. Our collective efforts are making progress, and we will continue to fight for greater health equity in 2024 and beyond.

In 2023, our IFPA community also highlighted psoriatic disease in Asia. The Psoriatic Disease Response Index: Western Pacific was published at the IFPA Forum Asia in Singapore. There is still work to be done to implement the recommendations from the WHO Report on Psoriasis (2016). Asia and the Western Pacific region have unique needs and advocacy opportunities when it comes to access to care, comorbidities, mental health, and familial ties. The roadmap and playbook that will be published following the Forum will guide our members in their next steps to conquer these challenges.

These, of course, are only a tiny portion of the projects and research you will find in our annual report. We thank you for another year of dedication to this community. We can feel our organization evolving. We are all becoming more professional, experienced, and strategic in our work together. IFPA is truly achieving the next level of its potential. We thank you for uniting with us on this journey.

We look forward to sharing more memories with you in Stockholm for the IFPA Conference 2024.

Until then, we wish you very happy holidays and a happy new year!