Forming a team of experts, creating a clear regulatory and legal framework, and starting the work of the expert committee are the key achievements in the development of health technology assessment in Ukraine. This was stated by Mykhailo Babenko, Director of the State Expert Center of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, in his welcoming speech at the 5th anniversary forum on health technology assessment “The Role of Health Technology Assessment in the Holistic Ecosystem of Access to Clinically Effective and Cost-Effective Medical Technologies”.
The event took place in Kyiv on 25-26 September 2024 with the support of the international technical assistance project of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) "Safe, Affordable, and Effective Medicines for Ukrainians" (SAFEMed).
According to the Director of the Center, over the past four years a strong team of experts has been formed that is actively working on implementing health technology assessment. Thanks to the support of international partners, Ukrainian specialists have been trained on leading international platforms. The results of this work are tangible at the national level: the trained experts have conducted more than twenty trainings for interested persons in Ukraine.
Mykhailo Babenko also emphasized the importance of creating a clear regulatory and legal framework. The documents contain detailed procedures and algorithms, which makes the health technology assessment process clear and accessible to all participants.
Another achievement was the formation of the Expert Committee on Health Technology Assessment, which includes highly qualified and experienced specialists. The first meeting of the Committee was held recently, at which important decisions were adopted for further work.
“Globally, we have health technology assessment for medicinal products. Today we are completing the preparatory process for approving a guideline on medical devices and plan to conduct the first expert evaluations by the end of the year. The next step will be developing regulatory documents on hospital health technology assessment. I am sure that many will be interested in joining this process,” said Mykhailo Babenko.
“I sincerely want to thank the organizers of this HTA Forum – the USAID/SAFEMed international technical assistance project – for their long and powerful support of HTA development, which we all feel. I also thank the team of the Ministry of Health and the leadership of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on the Health of the Nation, Medical Care and Medical Insurance. Special thanks to our international partners for their help, support, and cooperation,” said Mykhailo Babenko.
He emphasized that the forum, held for the fifth time, has become an important platform for discussing topical issues in health technology assessment and for involving specialists in modern processes in this important field.
“This contributes to improving the healthcare system in our country and ensures patients’ access to high-quality, effective and cost-effective medical technologies,” emphasized Mykhailo Babenko.
