Pune: The Health Technology Assessment Resource Centre (HTARC) at ICMR-National Institute of Virology (NIV) conducted a workshop on Health Technology Assessment ( HTA ) on Oct 14 and 15. The event, held under the department of health research of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare highlighted the role of HTA in improving public health . The HTA is a globally recognized method for generating evidence to support healthcare decisions and optimize resource use.
Policy makers from across Maharashtra, Goa, Diu-Daman, and Dadra Nagar Haveli, both in person and online, medical faculty, public health officials participated in the workshop. Lt Gen (retd) Dr Madhuri Kanitkar, vice-chancellor of Maharashtra University of Health Sciences (MUHS), Nashik, inaugurated the workshop. Dr Naveen Kumar, director of ICMR-NIV , stressed the importance of translational research and the role of HTA in promoting equity in healthcare.
Dr Kanitkar called for breaking silos in healthcare and emphasized the need for collaboration between medical colleges, research institutions and health departments to achieve universal health coverage (UHC). Workshop organizer Dr Yogesh Gurav, scientist F and head of the HTA Resource Centre at ICMR-NIV highlighted the importance of incorporating HTA research questions into health technology studies. "Participants gained hands-on experience in developing HTA research questions for their respective fields through engaging brainstorming sessions," Dr.
Gurav said..