Int’l fellowship begins at PGIMER

Tribune News Service 

Chandigarh, February 19

The School of Public Health, Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER) Chandigarh is organising the 7th International Fellowship on Health Technology Assessment (HTA) from February 19 to 23 in collaboration with the Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; World Health Organization; National Health Systems Resource Centre; Centre for Health Economics, University of York, United Kingdom; and Imperial College, London. 

This event will be followed by the 2nd National Conference on Health Technology Assessment to be held at the PGIMER Chandigarh on February 24 and 25. Shri Kumar Abhay, Financial Advisor at the PGI, in his inaugural address summarised the present dilemmas and bottlenecks faced in the policy-making and implementation afflicting the health sector. 

He also highlighted the issues related to accessibility, affordability, disparity in terms of gender, geographic access and reliance on out of pocket expenditure.

Dr Shankar Prinja, Additional Professor of Health Economics at School of Public Health, PGI highlighted that the purpose of this workshop isbeing done to build capacity of program managers, academicians and researchers on how to evaluate the health care interventions and programs from an economic perspective.

This is being done under the auspices of Government of India's recently created Health Technology Assessment Board. Prof Karl Claxtonwho is a globally renowned health economist from Centre for Health Economics, University of York in United Kingdom is also teaching in the workshop.

A total of 30 senior researchers and academicians from leading organizations such as Indian Council of Medical Research and its associated organizations like National Institute of Research in Tuberculosis, Chennai and National Institute for Research in Reproductive Health, Mumbai; National Health Systems Resource Centre, New Delhi; Indian Institute of Public Health, Shillong and Indian Institute of Health Management Research, Jaipur are part of this workshop.

HTA is a multidisciplinary field that systematically examines various aspects such as the safety, clinical efficacy and effectiveness, cost, cost-effectiveness, organizational implications, social and ethical considerations of the application of a health intervention and technology - usually a clinical health intervention, drug, medical device or public health program. 

Its application may assist government in better allocation for resources ensuring better equity and access. It can further reduce or eliminate the unsafe and ineffective interventions which may also otherwise cost high.