Interview of Dr. Yos Thiravatanon, Secretary-General of the Foundation and Senior Researcher, HITAP

Abstract

Background: Health Technology Assessment (HTA) is an important process in considering the impact of medical technologies and health policies in the public health system. It focuses on making decisions based on scientific evidence to lead to efficient and equitable resource allocation. In Thailand, the leading agency in this area is the Health Technology Assessment and Policy Project (HITAP), which has continuously conducted research and provided policy advice to government agencies. However, the application of HTA in policymaking still faces challenges in many dimensions, such as the lack of understanding among policymakers and public health personnel about the assessment approach and the challenges in applying research results in different contexts.

Research Objectives: (1) To study the role and process of HITAP in developing and promoting the use of HTA in the public health system of Thailand. (2) To analyze the obstacles and challenges in implementing HTA in the Thai context. (3) To propose guidelines for developing and expanding the role of HTA to be effective and create tangible policy impacts.

Methodology: This research is a qualitative analysis study using in-depth interviews with experts, researchers, and policymakers involved in HITAP and the HTA process, as well as a literature review from academic sources and related study reports. The data were analyzed using content analysis to identify key issues regarding HITAP’s role, barriers to implementation, and future HTA development directions.

Results: The results of the study found that HITAP plays an important role in supporting the use of HTA in public health policy-making in Thailand, especially in terms of considering the inclusion of drugs and medical technologies in the national list of essential medicines and providing evidence-based data to the National Health Security Office (NHSO). However, the main barriers to HTA implementation in Thailand include the lack of understanding among policymakers and public health personnel about the HTA process, the lack of skilled human resources, and budget constraints. In addition, during the COVID-19 pandemic, HITAP played an important role in providing policy advice on disease control measures, vaccine procurement guidelines, and cost-effectiveness assessment of public health resources.

Conclusions: This study suggests that HITAP is an important mechanism for driving HTA in Thailand by helping policy decisions in the public health system to be more scientific and evidence-based. However, there are still challenges that need to be addressed, such as increasing awareness and understanding of HTA among policymakers and public health personnel, developing HTA workforce, and increasing funding sources to support research in this area. To enable HTA to have more effective policy impact