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At the opening ceremony, the Brazilian Minister of Health, Alexandre
Padilha, offered an overview of the Brazilian health sector,
underscoring the importance of Health Technology Assessment in public
policy development and decision-making processes.
The event was organized by the Brazilian Ministry of Health and by the
HTAI society, in cooperation with the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation – FIOCRUZ,
the National Health Insurance Agency – ANS, the Brazilian Health
Surveillance Agency – ANVISA, the Cochrane Centre, and the Pan-American
Health Organization – PAHO.
A series of pre-conference activities was held, including the I HTA
MERCOSUR Meeting – Together On the Path Toward Strengthening Our
Capacities, at which participants discussed the internalization of
methods and strengthening of capacities in member countries. Another
pre-conference event was the launch and inaugural meeting of the Health
Technology Assessment Network of the Americas, Red de Evaluación de
Tecnologías Sanitarias (REDETSA).
The conference itself took place June 27, 28, and 29. Carlos Augusto
Grabois Gadelha, Secretary of Science, Technology and Strategic Products
of the Brazilian Ministry of Health, opened the proceedings with some
brief remarks before moving to his keynote lecture “Health, Development
and Innovation – Challenges for Health Systems.”
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A total of three plenary sessions were held: “Healthcare Systems
Sustainability in the 21st Century,” “Case Studies of HTA Development
and Impact of Healthcare Systems,” and “Next Steps: Developing HTA for
Sustainable Healthcare Systems.”
In all, 863 scientific abstract submissions from 45 different countries
were submitted during the event, in addition to 86 proposed Parallel
Panel Sessions. Abstract submissions were reviewed by a scientific
committee consisting of 78 experts from 21 countries.
Key discussions in the scientific and technical field centered on the
role of HTA in assessing primary care intervention, regulatory and
innovation processes, and disinvestment. The gathering included
representatives from every continent. Further, the initiative clearly
suggested that the prospects for the expansion of HTA in Latin America
are strong.
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The discussions on emerging economies and transcontinental cooperation
were of fundamental importance in the design of strategies to
consolidate HTA around the world.
The 9th edition of the conference will be held June 23-27, 2012, in
Bilbao, Spain, and center on the theme Integrated Care for a Patient
Centered System. For further information, go to
www.htai2012.org.
The Organizing Team at Brazil’s Ministry of Health would like to thank
everyone for their participation and contribution to the resounding
success of the 2011 edition of HTAi.