Yesterday, Ghana launched its first Strategy for Health Technology Assessment (HTA). This strategy sends out a clear message of Ghana’s ambitious commitment to evidence informed priority setting. It recognizes that building an HTA function demands action on several areas, including capacity development, topic selection, and bespoke methods guidelines, all linked by a strong governance framework. In Sub-Saharan Africa, the use …
A call to policy-makers working on COVID-19 national response: how can we improve the use of models?
As the COVID-19 pandemic is evolving, a growing number of countries are making use of information derived from mathematical models in policy and public communication. In a review conducted as of March 2020, 31 COVID-19 models were identified, with different objectives, methods and data/results reported in the public domain. The type of models employed by the countries vary but we …
Ghana’s HTA agenda and UHC, what difference could HTA make?
As we reflect on Universal Health Coverage day (UHC) from the end of last year, it seems that 2019 was an important year in Ghana’s journey towards achieving the target of UHC by 2030. According to the WHO, UHC is achieved when all people and communities can have access to the promotive, preventive, curative, rehabilitative, and palliative health services they …
Ghana’s Minister of Health launches the National HTA Steering Committee and calls for HTA institutionalisation in the country
On Friday 4th October 2019, members of the International Decision Support initiative (iDSI) were invited to the Ministerial Inauguration meeting of Ghana’s first National Health Technology Assessment (HTA) steering and technical committees for HTA. The invitation acknowledged iDSI’s 11 years of active involvement in the country advocating for prioritising evidence-informed decision making in Ghana
iDSI hosts fifth two-week study tour for senior Chinese health professionals and researchers
The iDSI team at Imperial College and core iDSI partner the China National Health Development Research Centre (CNHDRC), have been organising visits by groups of high-level Chinese health leaders and professionals, from national and regional bodies, and from clinical and non-clinical roles, to visit the UK each year since 2014. The study tours seek to provide delegates with a solid …
NUS Initiative to Improve Health in Asia (NIHA) Leadership Program 2019
Advancing UHC in Asia Through the Use of HTA for Health Care Priority Setting and Reimbursement Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, National University of Singapore, 24-28 June 2019. By invitation only Universal health coverage (UHC) is not only to be made available but also sustainable and every country is now thinking about how to make both happen. Health …
Balancing budgets and coverage on the road to determining Health Benefit Packages: iDSI hosts three major events bringing together policy-makers from around the world
Although needs and available resources will undoubtedly differ by country, many face similar challenges on the road to determining an essential package of health benefits as part of Universal Health Coverage (UHC). As part of three recent events, which saw hundreds working in health policy gather in Accra, Liverpool and London, iDSI sought to delve into important factors that guide …
iDSI hosts two-week study tour for Chinese delegation
Health policy evaluation and Health Technology Assessment in the UK were put under the spotlight during a two-week study tour for Chinese officials, hosted by iDSI, which concluded today. The 22 delegates, from both clinical and non-clinical backgrounds, visited London and Cambridge to develop their understanding of the UK healthcare system, including health-related legislation and regulatory mechanisms, policy development and …
First capacity building for HTA in India workshop kicks off in Delhi
Health Technology Assessment (HTA) is an important tool for prioritising health resources in India’s journey towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC), this was one of the key take-home messages from a workshop delivered by iDSI this month. The workshop was the first in a series that are designed to help build capacity for undertaking HTA in India; and come as the …
Capacity building for Health Technology Assessment in India: strengthening foundations for evidence-informed priority setting
iDSI is providing technical assistance to build essential capacity in the generation and utilisation of evidence to ensure the best value from every rupee spent in the Indian health system. This comes as the government of India has committed to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals and Universal Health Coverage by 2030. Setting the right priorities to maximise value of health …