MoH launches new guidelines on assessment
The Ministry of Health (MoH) has launched a document containing the guidelines and standards for conducting health technology assessment (HTA) to ensure value for money and better health outcomes.
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The maiden document is known as the "Reference Case for the National Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Strategy."
The HTA strategy was launched in 2021 and is used to evaluate the social, economic, organisational and ethical impact of health technology before being adopted.
Health technology in the context of the strategy refers to medicines, vaccines, devices, procedures and systems developed to solve a health problem and improve quality of life.
The HTA has been described as a multidisciplinary process that uses explicit methods to determine the value of health technology at different points in its life cycle.
The Director of Technical Coordination at the MoH, Dr Martha Gyansa-Lutterodt, was singled out for special applause and commendation for bearing and leading the execution of the initiative successfully at the launch in Accra yesterday
The partners involved in the process include the World Health Organisation (WHO), the Norwegian Ambassador to Ghana, the Africa CDC, the Norwegian Institute of Public Health and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
The partners commended the country for the initiative and for once again leading the way in the sub-region.
Reference case document
Launching the reference case document, the Director Technical Coordination at the MoH, Dr Baffour Awuah, said the document was the framework for quality assurance in conducting health technology assessments locally.
He said the reference case referred to a set of methodological standards for a range of items relevant to conducting an economic evaluation of health technology.
Dr Awuah said prioritising healthcare delivery was critical, especially in the case of limited financial resources to ensure value for money and equity to boost the delivery of Universal Health Coverage.
“Although we have already been prioritising, efficiency in doing that has become necessary due to limited financial resources. The HTA and its case reference document would, therefore, facilitate that efficiency," he said.
Milestone
In a speech read on his behalf, the Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, said the document represented a significant milestone in the country’s journey towards achieving a more effective, efficient and equitable healthcare system.
“HTA is a crucial tool in modern healthcare decision-making. It provides us with a systematic, evidence-based approach to evaluate the clinical, economic and social impact of health technologies and interventions,” he said.
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