Public health emergencies (PHEs), such as the COVID-19 crisis, are threats to global health and public order. We recommend that countries bolster their PHE responses by investing in health technology assessment (HTA), defined as a systematic process of gathering pertinent information on and evaluati

Vaccines have been a game-changer in the fight against COVID-19. Yet, vaccine hesitancy has impeded its uptake, impacting public health efforts. At the outset of the pandemic, people had doubts about this unfamiliar virus and subsequently, the vaccine: misinformation, rumours, and doubts about COVID

Hospitals in England could be on the brink of collapse because of rising demand and the increasing complexity of patients’ conditions, doctors warn.The Royal College of Physicians’ report said the number of beds had been cut by a third over the past 25 years.It said at the same time emergency admiss

Patients in England will soon be able to see if their local health authority is offering the latest approved drugs and treatments, as scorecards rating hospitals become public.The scheme, to be rolled out before autumn, aims to create a level playing field for treatments such as IVF.Authorities foun

President Obama’s health care law is putting new strains on some of the nation’s most hard-pressed hospitals, by cutting aid they use to pay for emergency care for illegal immigrants, which they have long been required to provide.The federal government has been spending $20 billion annually to reimb

The Private Hospital Association has demanded the reimbursement rate for emergency patients under three different state-run health schemes be increased.The association has sent the request to the National Health Security Office and Public Health Ministry, NHSO secretary-general Dr Winai Sawadiworn s

Rapeepong Suphanchaimat1,2 Angkana Sommanustweechai1 , Chiraporn Khitdee1 , Chompoonut Thaichinda1 , Kanang Kantamaturapoj3 , Pattara Leelahavarong4 , Pensom Jumriangrit1 , Thitikorn Topothai1 , Thunthita Wisaijohn1 Weerasak Putthasri1 1International Health Policy Program (IHPP), Ministry of Publi

US health regulators have for the first time approved a drug to prevent HIV infection.Truvada can be used by those at high risk of infection and anyone who may engage in sexual activity with HIV-infected partners, said the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).Studies showed the drug reduced the risk o

The Disease Control Department is seeking to ease public fears over a disease found in Thailand with HIV-like symptoms, saying it is not contagious.The disease, identified by the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) and reported in the New England Journal of Medicine last Thursday, has been found

Universal health coverage (UHC) is a key national aspiration for Japan and Thailand and both countries have generally succeeded in achieving their UHC policy goals. Health technology assessment (HTA) has been adopted to support the process of moving towards UHC. However, HTA implementation has evolv