The UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) is to lead a new collaborative effort in healthcare with India, which includes the development of a health technology assessment (HTA) board for the country.
NICE is acknowledged as one the world’s leaders in HTA – the analysis of the economic value of healthcare products – and will lend its expertise as part of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) agreed between the two country’s at the World Health Assembly in Geneva last month.
NICE will also help India turn HTA decisions into clinical policy and practice, as well as set up clinical practice guidelines pathways and quality standards.
Dr VM Katoch, secretary of the Department of Health Research (DHR), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said: “India is in the process of developing health technology assessment board and this MoU between NICE and DHR would strengthen our efforts in this direction.
“The two sides would explore the opportunities for collaborative research projects between India and UK scientists interested in mechanism of HTA based decisions for clinical policy and practice.”
This agreement is an important step for healthcare in India, which, as a BRIC country, is emerging as a leading market for the pharma industry, and has made major efforts in recent years to improve healthcare funding, access and infrastructure.
Regulation is still a major challenge for the country, however, and working with NICE should help improve these practices in relation to healthcare.
Pilots are planned to develop technical and institutional capacities, engagement with the health service providers as a key stakeholder, joint awareness raising and policy advocacy through global donors.
NICE said that a joint steering committee will be formed in order to convert these commitments into a real, mutually-beneficial partnership.
Sir Andrew Dillon, chief executive of NICE, said: “We are delighted to sign this important memorandum of understanding with the Department of Health Research, Government of India.
“It builds on our existing activities in the country and demonstrates our commitment to work together in areas relating to medical and health technology assessment.”