Context Health Intervention and Technology Assessment Program

hta known useful tool assist health policy decision-making. result, there attempts establish hta in thailand in various sectors. attempt governmental side production of background paper on hta national public health assembly, later known national health assembly, commissioned thailand’s health system research institute (hsri) highly respected clinical epidemiologist, professor dr. chitr sitthi-amorn, in 1988. following initiation, there attempts create hta agencies either inside or outside ministry of public health aim use hta inform health policy-makings. these include @ least 2 discontinued projects, namely, collaborative project between thailand , sweden called technology assessment , social security in thailand (tassit) , thailand , australia collaboration called setting priorities using information on cost-effectiveness (spice). attempt made create institute of medical research , technology assessment (imrta) in department of medical services in ministry. imrta, unlike other 2 examples, continues generate hta evidence , build hta capacity these days.

dr.yot teerawattanon , dr.sripen tantivess, 2 co-founders of hitap, research fellows under mentorship of dr.viroj tangcharoensathien @ international health policy program (ihpp), led dr.suwit wibulpolpresert, before got scholarship pursue phd in uk. after return in 2006, consultation 2 mentors, idea initiate hitap materialized. seed grant thai health promotion foundation (thaihealth) $1,000,000 spent in period of 3 years, hitap started out less 10 staff dr.yot program leader , dr.sripen senior researcher. maintain link policy decision-making bodies without impairing independency , flexibility, hitap opted 2 statuses: program under ihpp in bureau of policy , strategy in ministry of public health , hitap foundation managing body hitap. while first status keep hitap in close contact policy-makers, latter allow hitap work respond broader need in , outside country. no government budget allocated hitap nor, avoid conflict of interest, hitap receive funding support industries.

with aim link work policy decision-making, first batch of hitap’s research topics derived list of prioritized topic compiled policy-makers. hitap sent out letters calling topic nominations policy-making bodies such departments in ministry of public health , healthcare payers, review nominated topics , prioritize them according criteria constructed based on literature review before presenting them policy-makers in topic selection workshop comments , final says on prioritized topics. approach, of hitap’s first batch hta researches used inform policy decision-making, development of thai pharmaceutical reimbursement called national list of essential medicine (nlem) , benefit package (bp) under universal coverage scheme (ucs). build path formal channel of integrating hta development of both nlem , bp later.