PHILIPPINE HTA COUNCIL MEETING : Methods and Process Guidelines

In early 2019, the Philippines passed a Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Act that automatically
enrolls all Filipino citizens in a national health insurance scheme under the Philippine Health
Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth). P0F0F1 P Their aim, to improve the breadth and depth of healthcare coverage for Filipino citizens, is bolstered by the application of a tool called Health Technology Assessment (HTA). HTA supports the prioritization of interventions through the generation of valuefor-money evidence as well as incorporating social, ethical, financial protection, and affordability factors. A systematic, fair, and participatory process is also an integral part of the HTA system.

The HTA provisions in the Act specified the creation of an HTA Council (HTAC), the first of its kind, tasked with facilitating provision of evidence to the Department of Health (DOH), PhilHealth, and other relevant bodies for UHC. This Council, which has a core committee and subcommittees
dedicated to specific topic areas, was formed in mid-2019, with operations commencing in earnest
later in the year.

With the support of the DOH HTA Unit (HTAU), the secretariat of the HTA system, the Council has
met multiple times to discuss the administrative and management aspects of the development of the HTA system, specifically on the process and methods guidelines as well as plans in the near term. On 4 March 2020, in Manila, HITAP joined as an observer in one of the HTAC meetings as well as a meeting between the HTA Council Subcommittee on Traditional Medicine and the Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care (PITAHC). The HTAU and HITAP also discussed the potential collaborations between the two organizations in the coming two years.