India to set up new health tech assessment centres to help policymakers use resources optimally | Mint

New Delhi: The Union government plans to set up additional resource centres across India to evaluate the science, finance, social and ethical issues of new health technologies such as medicines and devices and disseminate evidence of their suitability and cost-effectiveness to help policymakers frame decisions for the healthcare sector.

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

The plan by the Department of Health Research (DHR) under the ministry of health and family welfare assumes significance given the changing nature of health technologies and associated concerns. The department intends to establish the new resource centres across India in FY26.

“The resource centres will be responsible for undertaking HTA studies, capacity building activities like workshops, training programmes and online courses,” the DHR said in a notice inviting expressions of interest from interested institutes. “These centres will also be conducting HTA sensitisation workshops for state/central government health programmes and facilitate adoption of HTA recommendations by state/central government programmes.”

The Office of the Health Technology Assessment in India (HTAIn) was set up in May 2023 with the responsibility to analyse health technologies such as medicines, devices and health programmes for their cost-effectiveness, clinical effectiveness and equity issues by means of HTA. This will help policymakers in decision-making for efficient use of limited health budgets and provide people with access to quality healthcare, reducing their personal expenditure on health.

“From India’s perspective, an evidence-based approach is the only way to generate safe, effective and sustainable healthcare decisions. HTA, or health technology assessments, will help evaluate new discoveries, drugs and technologies to see if they are really relevant to the country’s population,” said Rajeev Jayadevan, past president of the Indian Medical Association, Cochin. “A new drug for a disease must not only alleviate the condition but also be safe and cost-effective. Without HTA it will not be possible to ensure that newer developments actually benefit the intended patients.”

Existing centres

According to the government, health technology or health intervention refers to “an application of organised knowledge and skills in the form of diagnostics, devices, drugs including their formulations and delivery systems, vaccines, procedures, novel therapeutics, health programmes and systems developed to address a health problem and improve quality of lives including digital technologies.”

Jayadevan said half of India’s population is below the age of 28.6 and this translates into many individuals who could be interested in healthcare research. In sync with the Make in India theme, HTA centres can support local research on health technology innovations such as medical devices, diagnostic tools, and affordable medication by evaluating their effectiveness and cost-benefit, encouraging the adoption of Indian-made solutions.

The government has called on interested institutes with the required research capability and resources to apply by 15 February.

The Indian Institute of Technology Delhi, All India Institute of Medical Sciences in Jodhpur, National Institute of Virology in Pune, National Centre for Disease Informatics and Research in Karnataka and Indian Institute of Science in Bengaluru are among 19 institutes that have established such resource centres. These centres have helped achieve policy briefs on health issues such as intraocular lenses, cervical cancer screening and the safety of syringes.

Following the covid-19 pandemic, the health tech sector gained momentum in India. It was valued at about $10.6 billion in 2022 and 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.