New Delhi (ABC Live):The proposed Medical Technology Assessment Board (MTAB) in the Department of Health Research would recommend technologies (drugs, devices, method of treatment, etc.) in the area of health after evaluating them on their efficacy, appropriateness and cost effectiveness. This would serve as an important tool in prioritizing national health spending and help achieve universal health coverage by providing affordable health care. Accordingly, MTAB would facilitate:
(i) the process of decision-making in health care at the Central and State policy level by providing reliable information based on scientific evidence;
(ii) develop systems and mechanisms to assess new and existing health technologies by transparent and inclusive processes;
(iii) appraise health interventions and technologies based on available data on resource use, cost, clinical effectiveness and safety;
(iv) collect and analyze evidence in a systematic and reproducible way and ensure its accessibility and usefulness to inform health policy; and
(v) disseminate research findings and resulting policy decisions to educate and empower the public to make better informed decisions for health.
The Minister of State (Health and Family Welfare), Smt Anupriya Patel stated this in a written reply in the Lok Sabha here today.
