Health technology assessment: A potential roadmap for India

Abstract

Background: With the signing of the sustainable development goal document, India has embarked on the ambitious task of achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by launching the National Health Assurance Mission (NHAM). However, India has not been able to meet many targets of the previous millennium development goals. Objectives: This article discusses the potential role of health technology assessment (HTA) for achieving UHC in the context of limited public health expenditure in India. Materials and Methods: Secondary literature review was conducted to review the existing HTA structures in different countries. In addition, key informant interviews were held with senior representatives (current and previous) of the National Institute of Healthcare and Clinical Excellence (NICE), Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC), and evidence review group members from the University of Liverpool. Results: There are many potential applications for HTA in India and other low and middle-income countries. However, there are numerous contextual differences between India and other countries for adopting HTA and it is important to identify these differences and plan accordingly. Conclusions: The challenge for HTA in India is two-fold: data challenge and decision challenge. An incremental data to decision model based on the field practicum model of the Tata Institute of Social Sciences is recommended with the future objective of creating regional HTA hubs in India.