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Nations that have overcome some of these barriers and made better progress in

establishing HTA. One of the most conducive factors or contexts where these barriers are

overcome is where the major part of total health expenditure is through public health

expenditure, and private out of pocket expenditure is limited. In nationals like China, Taiwan,
Indonesia, and South Korea, the adoption of HTA has been faciliated by political will and

enabling legislation. Good handholding by national agencies like in Thailand, China, Indonesia

have also made a major positive difference. Even for similar public health interventions the
report and recommendations arising out of HTA studies may vary due across nations due to

differences of geography, epidemiology, political environment, organization of health

systems, income and various local intangible factors. The main focus of international technical

support should be the introduction of evidence-based decision making process into health

systems.

Many lessons can be learned by both nations of the developed and developing world

by sharing their experiences in the journey of HTA across different regions and how it has

been put to use to improve performance of healthcare systems. India has the need as well as

opportunity to adopt HTA in decision making which becomes evident from international HTA
experience especially from countries like Thailand and Cuba which are at similar levels of

economic development.

References:

1. Anderson JA. By the numbers: Technology assessment helps hospitals make decisions
that make cents. Medical Imaging 2000;
2. Goodman CS: Introduction to Health Care Technology Assessment. HTA101. The Lewin
Group. January 1998. National Information Center on Health Services Research &
Health Care Technology (NICHSR). National Library of Medicine. 1998,
www.nlm.nih.gov/archive/20040831/nichsr/ta101/ta101_cl.html.notice.html
3. Agence d'Evaluation des Technologies et des Modes d'Intervention en Sante (AETMIS),
International Society of Technology Assessment in Health Care (ISTAHC). Health

Technology Assessment: Decision-Making for Health, 2001
4. Eldar R. Health technology assessment and quality of care. Croatian Medical Journal
2002;43:510-512
5. Saokaew S, Sugimoto T, Kamae I, Pratoomsoot C, Chaiyakunapruk N (2015) Healthcare
Databases in Thailand and Japan: Potential Sources for Health Technology Assessment
Research. PLoS ONE 10(11): e0141993. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0141993

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