India establishes new Center for Health Technology Assessment to help policy makers make optimal use of resources

NEW DELHI: The Union government will assess the scientific, financial, social and ethical issues of new medical technologies such as drugs and medical devices and assess their suitability and cost-effectiveness to support decision-making by policy makers. Additional resource centers will be set up across India to disseminate evidence. For the healthcare field.

These new Health Technology Assessment Resource (HTAR) centers will also conduct training sessions, workshops, and online courses for those working in state and national government health programs.

The plan by the Department of Health Research (DHR) under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is significant given the changing nature of medical technology and the concerns associated with it. The ministry plans to set up new resource centers across India during FY26.

“The resource center will be responsible for carrying out capacity building activities such as HTA research, workshops, training programs and online courses,” DHR said in a notice inviting expressions of interest from interested institutions. “These centers will also conduct HTA sensitization workshops for state/central government health programs to facilitate adoption of HTA recommendations by state/central government programs.”

The Health Technology Assessment Authority of India (HTAIn) was established in May 2023 with the responsibility of using HTA to analyze cost-effectiveness, clinical effectiveness and equity issues of health technologies such as medicines, devices and healthcare programmes. I did. This will help policy makers make decisions to use limited health budgets efficiently, provide people with access to quality health care, and reduce private spending on health care.

“From an Indian perspective, an evidence-based approach is the only way to make safe, effective and sustainable healthcare decisions. It will help us evaluate and see if they are really relevant to the population of the country,” said Rajeev Jayadevan, former president, Indian Medical Association Cochin. In addition to relieving symptoms, it must also be safe and cost-effective. Without HTA, there is no guarantee that new developments will actually benefit the intended patients. ”

existing center

According to the government, medical technology or health interventions are “in the form of drugs, vaccines, procedures, new treatments, health programs, and systems developed to address a problem, including diagnostics, devices, formulations, and delivery systems. refers to the organized application of knowledge and skills. Solving health problems and improving quality of life, including digital technology. ”

Jayadevan said half of India’s population is under the age of 28.6, which means many people could be interested in medical research. In sync with the theme of ‘Make in India’, the HTA Center will support local research on medical innovations such as medical devices, diagnostic tools and affordable medicines by evaluating their effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. We can support and accelerate the adoption of Made in India solutions.

The government called on interested research institutions with the necessary research capacity and resources to apply by February 15.

The 19 institutions that have set up such resource centers include the Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Jodhpur, the National Institute of Virology in Pune, the National Center for Disease Informatics in Karnataka, and the Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru. will appear. These centers have contributed to the implementation of policy briefs on health issues such as intraocular lenses, cervical cancer screening, and syringe safety.

The health tech sector has gained momentum in India after the coronavirus pandemic. Its valuation in 2022 was approximately $10.6 billion and is expected to grow to $21.3 billion by 2025. The market is growing due to increased government investment in healthcare infrastructure and rising demand for advanced healthcare solutions.