One day, I was perusing the news and I came across an article about the inclusion of five new high-cost drugs in the Thai benefits package. Unbeknownst to me, the Thai Universal Health Coverage (UHC) released a news article in all domestic newspapers informing the public that the Director-General of

Understanding Social, Economic, and Environmental Determinants, Measuring Outcomes and Impacts, and Implementing Effective Public Health Policies Kenya’s healthcare system, like many others, faces the formidable challenge of allocating limited resources to maximize health benefi

Fern Saitowitz’s advanced breast cancer was controlled for about a year by the drug Herceptin and a toxic chemotherapy agent. But her hair fell out, her fingernails turned black and she was constantly fatigued.She switched to an experimental treatment, which also consisted of Herceptin and a chemoth

Universal Health Coverage (UHC) can be unaffordable. For most countries, it is impossible to provide all health services to all people. Priorities must be set to make the best use of finite resources. Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General reiterated this important message at the launc

Abstract Background Progress towards achieving Universal Health Coverage and institutionalizing healthcare priority setting through health technology assessment (HTA) in the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN) region varies considerably across countries because of differences in heal

HUMAN genome sequencing is already helping researchers find new treatments for illness. Now an unusual case study suggests that the benefits of sequencing may be enhanced in combination with detailed blood tests.The case involves Michael Snyder, a geneticist who was both the lead author and the subj

STOCKHOLM — Andemariam Beyene sat by the hospital window, the low Arctic sun on his face, and talked about the time he thought he would die.Two and a half years ago doctors in Iceland, where Mr. Beyene was studying to be an engineer, discovered a golf-ball-size tumor growing into his windpipe. Despi

The objective of this study is to determine the possibility of organizational development of the HITAP for stability and suitability to accommodate workload and manpower which are likely to increase in the future. The results indicate that the current HITAP’s positions, government and independent organization, are appropriated in Thai setting.201

The Cost-utility analysis (CUA) study of Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) versus blood transfusion and iron chelating therapy (standard treatment) found that related HSCT (sibling donor) is more cost effective than unrelated HSCT in patients ≤ 10 years old in Thai healthcare setting. However, there currently has capacity limit for H

A Difficult Balancing Act: Policy Actors’ Perspectives on Using Economic Evaluation to Inform Health-Care Coverage Decisions under the Universal Health Insurance Coverage Scheme in Thailand Yot Teerawattananon1 Steve Russell2 1Health Intervention and Technology Assessment Program (HITAP), Mini