Limited resources and cutting-edge technology infiltrating every role mark the beginning of the health prioritization at the "Priorities 2024 Conference.
May 8 – 10, 2024 – the Ministry of Public Health, by the Health Intervention Technology Assessment Thailand (HITAP), partnered with the International Society for Priorities in Health (ISPH), a network of researchers, medical professionals, and policy-makers working in health prioritization, to organized the “Priorities 2024 Conference,” an international academic conference on health priority setting. It is the 14th time of this conference and its first time in the Asia-Pacific region
“Making justifiable decisions about allocating healthcare requires answering difficult conceptual and technical questions. It requires knowledge of health care systems, gathering and analyzing data on health care interventions, and understanding the political aspects of health policy. The reason the International Society for Priorities in Health exists is to bring together this multidisciplinary expertise. To connect the policy makers and the academics.” said Dr. Joseph Millum, Chair of ISPH.
Additionally, the conference was honored by the presence of Dr. Jadej Thammatacharee, Secretary-General of the National Health Security Office (NHSO), delivering the opening speech. “As we navigate the complex future landscape of healthcare—where artificial intelligence plays a more prominent role, climate change affects health, and inequity persists—new approaches to health prioritization are essential for guaranteeing the best possible health outcomes for our communities”, he stated.
“This Conference aims to explore how health prioritization can look like going forward for health system and beyond to grow stronger and be able to withstand and thrive against major challenges and threats not only to our healthcare system but to the whole world. We hope to bring partners from all over the world to share their experiences and support our movement towards Universal Health Coverage for all.” said Prof. Dr.Vicharn Panich, Chair of HITAP Foundation Board.
Over the three days of the Priorities 2024 Conference, more than 320 experienced researchers and policymakers from 45 countries worldwide participated in exchanges, discussions, and presentations on various topics under the main theme “Shaping the Future of Health Prioritization: Strategies for Sustainable Solutions,” aimed at enabling participants to understand and effectively advance health prioritization in a wide range of areas related to future health prioritization research.
This included the use of real-world data and artificial intelligence in health prioritization, early health technology assessment, the ethics and equity considerations in health prioritization, and health prioritization for environmental sustainability.
The conference also provided an opportunity for all researchers to present and compete for research outputs in both Oral and Poster Presentations, demonstrating their potential to health professionals from around the world. The winners of the oral presentation category were Ms. Yashika Chugh from India on the topic “Determining the Willingness-To-Pay Based Threshold to Aid Health Technology Assessment in India” and for the poster presentation were Mr. Avram Denburg from Canada on the topic “Improving Access to High-Potential Pediatric Precision Therapies: a child-tailored assessment framework to determine value for funding decisions.”
Health priority setting is the process of determining what should be prioritized in the healthcare system under limited resource constraints. Faced with the continuous increase health needs, each country cannot immediately provide all health services to everyone. “Health priority setting” is a challenge that every country must emphasize and confront.
