Nadda inaugurates 3rd International Symposium on Health Technology Assessment 2025
By TIOL News Service
NEW DELHI, MAR 10, 2025: UNION Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Jagat Prakash Nadda inaugurated the third "International Symposium on Health Technology Assessment (ISHTA 2025)" at Bharat Mandapam, here on Saturday. It is organized by the Department of Health Research (DHR), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) India Country Office and the Centre for Global Development (CGD).
Bansuri Swaraj, Member of Parliament, New Delhi (Delhi (NCT)); Prof. Vinod Kumar Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog; Punya Salila Srivastava, Secretary (H&FW), Ministry of Health & Family Welfare; Dr. Rajiv Bahl, Secretary, Department of Health Research and Director General, Indian Council of Medical Research and Mr. Amit Agarwal, Secretary, Department of Pharmaceuticals were also present.
This year, the theme of the symposium is "Bridging Evidence to Policy: Health Technology Assessment for Affordable Healthcare."
Addressing the gathering, Nadda emphasized the vision and commitment of the Hon'ble Prime Minister in strengthening India's healthcare system and ensuring accessible and affordable healthcare for all. He highlighted the critical role of Health Technology Assessment (HTA) in advancing evidence-based policymaking to build an efficient, equitable, and high-quality health system, aligned with the goals of Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
Nadda highlighted that the "government is focused on providing healthcare which is preventive, curative, palliative and rehabilitative". He informed that the Union Government has given emphasis to primary, secondary as well as tertiary healthcare. He noted that 22 state-of-the-art AIIMS has been established till now and there has been a substantial increase in MBBS and MD seats along with an increase in training of paramedic and nursing staff. He stated that the government will create 75,000 seats in the medical sector with 30,000 seats already created last year.
The Union Health Minister noted that HTA India resource centres are spread over 19 states in India which serves as an important mechanism for priority setting and has helped immensely in achieving various health goals such as for TB detection, optimising healthcare costs and incorporating evidence-based data in national health programs.
On the occasion, the Union Health Minister released several key resources, including the Open Real-Time PCR Kit for Diagnosis of Pulmonary Tuberculosis (Quantiplus® MTB FAST Detection Kit developed by Huwel Lifesciences), the HTA Technologies Compendium, the HTA Costing Database, as well as the Patent Mitra initiative. "With the launch of these flagship initiatives, our country is taking significant leap towards in supporting our innovators. This platform is designed to provide crucial support to the scientists, researchers and institutions ensuring that their ground-breaking works are protected through patents and made available to public through seamless technology transfer", he stated.
Nadda also highlighted that the "Medical Education Patent Mitra" initiative of ICMR aligns with the Med Tech Mitra initiative, a testament of ICMR's commitment to advancing medical innovation.
He concluded his address by stating that HTA helps in reinforcing the Government's commitment to providing inclusive, affordable, equitable and accessible healthcare for all. "HTA will play an important role in the realisation of Viksit Bharat by 2047, as envisaged by our Hon'ble Prime Minister", he stated.
Dr Vinod K Paul congratulated HTAIn (Health Technology Assessment – India) for its remarkable developments within a short period of time. He underscored the importance of HTA in guiding resource allocation and optimizing health investments for maximum impact.
He highlighted five major achievements of HTA which are as under:
- The organisation has become very robust with HTA becoming a full-fledged office within the Department of Health Research.
- Scientific rigour in which analysis is being done is of global standard embedded with Indian needs.
- HTA has created a network of scientists, public health officials, academicians etc spread across the country.
- There has been real use of HTA inputs in government programs like Ayushman Bharat.
- The uptake of HTA inputs in states in a federal system like India where health is a state subject is gaining a lot of momentum.
Dr Rajiv Bahl highlighted the potential of HTA to shape Indian health policies and strengthen the ecosystem for developing cost-effective health technologies. He said, "HTA is part of an ecosystem that India has taken forward from its response to the Covid-19 pandemic during which many technologies were indigenously developed and validated within the country." He stressed the need for collaboration between research institutions, policymakers, and industry to achieve affordable healthcare.
Punya Salila Srivastava highlighted the crucial role of HTA in strengthening evidence-based decision-making, enabling efficient, equitable, and high-quality services for better patient outcomes. She stated that "digital health technologies have proven invaluable in bridging the gap between rural and urban areas. She also underlined the crucial role played by HTA in government programs like eSanjeevani, Ayushman Bharat, TeleMANAS, uWIN etc thanks to its evidence based, cost effective and accessible framework.
Mr. Amit Agarwal, underlined the need for HTA to promote innovation in the pharmaceutical sector and facilitate the development and adoption of affordable medical products.
The symposium offered a wide range of engaging activities, including keynote presentations, panel discussions, oral and poster presentations, and networking opportunities. A ‘Marketplace' at the symposium showcased HTA studies and their impact on health policymaking.
By bringing together global experts, policymakers, and stakeholders, ISHTA 2025 has set the stage for meaningful collaborations that will contribute to creating a more sustainable, accessible, and affordable healthcare system in India and beyond.
Anu Nagar, Joint Secretary, Department of Health Research, Government of India; Dr Roderico H. Ofrin, WHO Representative to India and senior officials of the Union Health Ministry were also present at the event. Researchers, academicians, innovators, and industry partners from India and abroad also participated, sharing their perspectives and insights.
