On September 8, 2023, the faculty members and graduate students in two graduate programs including the Health Technology Assessment (MU-HTA) Graduate Program and the Social, Economic, and Administrative Pharmacy (SEAP) Graduate Program conducted an overseas field trip and visited the Malaysian Health Technology Assessment Section (MaHTAS), which is under the Medical Development Division, the Ministry of Health Malaysia. This field trip was led by the faculty members of the aforementioned programs including 1) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Usa Chaikledkeaw, the Deputy Dean for International and Public Relations, and the MU-HTA Program Director, 2) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Arthorn Riewpaiboon, 3) Assoc. Prof. Dr. Montarat Thavorncharoensap, and 4) Dr. Saowalak Turongkaravee. The meeting was presided over by Dr. Izzuna Mudla Mohamed Ghazali, Head of MaHTAS, who provided a warm welcome to the visitors. She also gave an overview of Malaysian health technology assessment practice and implementation in Malaysia.
MaHTAS produces health technology assessments, clinical practice guidelines, and other synthesized research evidence that are transparent, relevant, and easily accessible to serve as input for decisions and policy-making concerning Malaysia's health technologies such as procurement, adoption, implementation, disengagement, reimbursement, and pricing.
(ref: https://pharmacy.mahidol.ac.th/en/activities/3654)
Last October 30 to November 1 2018, HTA graduate students and experts from Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand went to Taipei, Taiwan for a study visit.
Graduate students came from India, Thailand, Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Bangladesh. Experts were from various faculties, such as Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Pharmacy,
and Faculty of Public Health. This study visit is a part of GRHA623: Principle and concept of HTA course. The study visit involved:
(1) research and academic discussions in HTA;
(2) industry and patient experiences in HTA in Taiwan;
(3) Taiwan’s National Health Insurance (NHI) system;
(4) Taiwan’s Center for Drug Evaluation (CDE), which is responsible for conducting HTA; and,
(5) Taiwan’s National Hepatitis C Program experiences.
Furthermore, the role and impact of HTA were emphasized. Evidently, HTA guides the development of healthcare-related policies, strategies and interventions, and health benefit packages and coverage decisions. Ultimately, it contributes to strengthening the healthcare system to maximize healthcare outcomes in the context of increasing number of new health technologies and increasing expenditures for health. Through this study visit, all were able to see how the different key stakeholders (e.g., academic institutions, industry, national drug authority, NHI, CDE, patient groups) are interrelated with each other, and what their significant responsibilities are in relation to HTA. The process and role of HTA in Taiwan was also discussed.
Moreover, two students presented their research studies during the Taiwan study visit held last October 29 to November 1, 2018.
Name of presenters |
Title of Presentation/s |
Venue/ Audience |
Anne Julienne Genuino |
Cost-utility analysis of adjuvant trastuzumab therapy for HER2-positive early breast cancer in the Philippines |
National Taiwan University attended by academic institutions in Taiwan |
Ong The Due |
Cost-utility analysis of direct acting antivirals for treatment of chronic hepatitis C genotype 1 and 6 in Vietnam |
National Health Insurance Administration |
The faculty members and graduate students of the MUHTA Program in their study visit in National Taiwan University
The faculty members and graduate students of the MUHTA Program in their study visit at Taiwan - National Health Insurance
