NICE International Review 2012

Over the past 5 years, together with colleagues from across the globe, we have helped empower policy-makers to make decisions that are evidence-based and procedurally fair, in order to improve the quality and efficiency of their health systems.

This year has been a turning point for us. We secured funding from the Health Partnership Scheme to work in India and China, with a focus on technical assistance and creating South-South partnerships. This accorded with the UK Department for International Development’s new emphasis on engaging with emerging powers. We were awarded an institutional grant by the Rockefeller Foundation to support the Ministries of Health in Vietnam, Ghana and the Philippines (the latter in partnership with the Thai Ministry of Public Health) with their aim to achieve universal health coverage. In December 2012, the UN General Assembly voted in favour of universal health coverage.

NICE will draw on its strong track record in the publicly funded, universal system of the NHS to contribute to the growing global momentum for universal coverage. We will also be able to bring what we learn to our NHS, which is currently faced with the significant challenge of sustaining an equitable, affordable and high-quality healthcare system for people in the UK.