New Delhi: The Postgraduate
Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, has once
again secured the gold award from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, as the country’s Best Health Technology
Assessment (HTA) institution for the second consecutive year.
The award was presented during
the national HTA Conclave, ARISE 2025, held on 17 December, 2025 at Sushma Swaraj
Bhawan in New Delhi. The event, hosted by DHR–HTAIn, brought together around
130 representatives from HTA resource centres. Last year, PGIMER secured
the position as the best Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Institute in the
country.
Senior officials,
including NITI Aayog’s health member Prof. Vinod Paul, Department of Health
Research Secretary Dr. Rajiv Bahl, and Joint Secretary Anu Nagar, addressed the
gathering. The distinction was formally handed over by Prof. Paul and Dr. Bahl,
who also serves as director-general of the Indian Council of Medical Research,
underscoring PGIMER’s continued leadership in advancing health technology
assessment in India.
Prof. Vinod Paul, Member
(Health), NITI Ayog, delivered the keynote at the HTA Conclave, envisioning the
expansion of HTAIn through advancing the science of HTA and driving
evidence-informed policy innovation. The event witnessed key launches &
inspiring insights. PGIMER’s growing recognition
in Health Technology Assessment is rooted in the HTA Resource Hub created by
the Department of Health Research within the Department of Community Medicine
and School of Public Health at PGIMER. The centre is headed by Prof. Shankar
Prinja, a senior health economist who has been central to advancing national
capacity for evidence-based health policymaking, reports The New Indian Express.
Speaking at the conclave, Prof. Vinod Paul stressed that the goal of Viksit
Bharat depends on strong and reliable institutions, noting that HTA plays
an essential role in ensuring that public funds are directed toward
interventions that yield the highest and most equitable health benefits.
Reviewing India’s
progress in HTA over the past eight years, Dr. Rajiv Bahl said the framework
has become a crucial policy instrument for the Union government, promoting more
transparent and rational use of health resources. He pointed to its contribution
in shaping Ayushman Bharat–PMJAY reimbursement rates, enabling value-based
procurement of major medical devices, and guiding coverage decisions using
scientific evidence.
Dr. Bahl also praised Prof. Prinja and the PGI team for
their sustained work in expanding HTA capability across the country, while
emphasizing that further institutional strengthening and skilled manpower are
essential to meet rapidly evolving medical technologies, reports The Daily.