Event highlights
08 November 2024
New HTA project aims to enhance patient access to life-saving medicines and technologies in Greece
The Government of Greece has taken steps to strengthen patient access to life-saving medicines and technologies by launching a new project titled “Strengthening of the National Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Framework in Greece” during the first Athens Patients’ Forum on 20 September 2024.
This project is led by WHO/Europe in collaboration with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Structural Reform Support (DG REFORM) and the Greek Ministry of Health. It is funded by the European Union (EU) via the Technical Support Instrument and is being implemented in preparation for the European Union HTA Regulation (HTAR), which comes into effect in January 2025.
Both this project and the HTAR aim to improve patient access to innovative, life-saving health technologies by streamlining assessments, reducing delays, and ensuring that treatments and devices are evaluated efficiently and effectively across the countries of the EU.
“Over the past few decades, we’ve seen significant strides in biopharmaceutical research, leading to advances in prevention, screening, diagnosis and treatment. However, countries in the WHO European Region especially have voiced concern over the escalating prices and budgetary impact of these treatments,” said Dr Natasha Azzopardi Muscat, Director of Country Health Policies and Systems at WHO/Europe. “This is where health technology assessment comes into play. HTA ensures that only clinically and cost-effective treatments are reimbursed.”
How will this project enhance quality of care and patient safety in Greece?
HTA refers to the systematic evaluation of the effects and/or impacts of a new health technology. This multidisciplinary process evaluates the patient-related and broader social, economic, organizational and ethical issues associated with a health intervention or health technology. Health technology is defined as the application of organized knowledge and skills in the form of medicines, medical devices, vaccines, procedures and systems developed to solve a health problem and improve quality of life. The primary goal of conducting an HTA is to provide evidence that informs policy decision-making. This project will refine Greece’s HTA processes for medicines and health technologies, focusing on improving patient outcomes, quality of care and the sustainability of the Greek health-care system. Key expected outcomes include:
- strengthening Greece’s HTA system and building capacity to implement the EU HTAR;
- ensuring equitable and timely access to cost-effective health technologies to improve population health;
- addressing unmet medical needs and facilitating access to innovative medicines and medical devices.
“Greece is taking significant steps in strengthening its health-care system, with this project being one of the key initiatives. WHO/Europe has committed to supporting the Greek government in its mission to improve quality of care and patient safety,” noted Dr João Breda, Head, WHO Office on Quality of Care and Patient Safety (Athens), Special Advisor to the Regional Director and Special Representative and Officer in Charge for the WHO Country Office in Greece.
Moving forward
During the launch, both Dr Aris Angelis, Secretary General of Strategic Planning at the Greek Ministry of Health, and Dr Nathalie Berger, Director for Support to Member States’ Reforms at the European Commission, emphasized the collaborative effort needed to ensure equitable and timely access to innovative and cost-effective health technologies.
Dr Aris Angelis stated that “This new initiative to strengthen HTA in our country is a key step towards improving decision-making in health care and lays the foundation for enhancing health-care services in Greece. It promotes a more transparent, scientifically sound and equitable approach to adopting innovative technologies, while drawing on European expertise to build national capacity for implementing the new Regulation. This effort is made possible with the support of DG REFORM and WHO/Europe, and the vital involvement of key stakeholders, including health-care professionals, policy-makers, patients and industry experts, whose collaboration is essential for ensuring a more efficient, accessible and sustainable health-care system in the years to come”.
“Through the Technical Support Instrument, DG REFORM works with the Greek authorities to strengthen the HTA system. The HTA system plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of health care, as it provides policy-makers with evidence to formulate health policies that are safe, patient-focused and cost-effective. DG REFORM already supports 8 other EU Member States in the area of HTA, to enhance their capacity to evaluate new technologies effectively and use their resources more efficiently, in line with the HTAR. This will ultimately lead to an increased availability of innovative technologies and novel medicines in health care throughout Europe,” says Dr Berger.
The project will run through to early 2026, with WHO/Europe providing critical support to Greece by:
- conducting a situational analysis of the national HTA system and reviewing EU HTA regulations to identify gaps and needs;
- developing updated methods and national framework process guides;
- building capacity for implementing these new methods and processes; and
- piloting the guidance and updating it based on experiences and results.
Patient engagement remains central to the HTA project. As highlighted during the Athens Patients’ Forum, the project started with patients and will continue to prioritize their needs throughout its lifecycle. By placing patients at the forefront, the project aims to ensure that health-care innovations not only reach the market more swiftly but also resonate with the real-world challenges they encounter. This is crucial for improving health outcomes and enhancing the overall well-being of patients and their families.
Event notice
20 September 2024
The WHO Office on Quality of Care and Patient Safety in Athens, in collaboration with the WHO Country Office in Greece and the Greek Patients Association, is hosting the first-ever Athens Patients’ Forum on 20 September 2024 in the capital of Greece. Following the celebrations of World Patient Safety Day, this Forum will focus on quality of care and patient safety within the Greek context.
Background
The pandemic, armed conflicts, natural disasters, and other emergencies have led to what Dr Hans Henri P. Kluge, WHO Regional Director for Europe, calls the "health permacrisis," underscoring the need for resilience and readiness in national health systems within and beyond Europe. Challenges such as fragmented health services, lack of coordination, discontinuity of care, underutilization, limited resources (particularly human resources), and suboptimal quality of care and patient safety have become increasingly critical.
Inspired by the WHO European Programme of Work, 2020–2025 – “United Action for Better Health”, and the WHO Regional Director for Europe’s vision of leaving no one behind, WHO/Europe identified the need to support countries in their efforts to combat this permacrisis and create high-quality health-care systems.
In line with this vision, WHO/Europe is working with Greece under the National Development Programme (NDP) 2021–2025 to restructure Greece’s national health system. This Forum is part of the broader Development and Implementation of a Framework for Quality Care (HEALTH-IQ) project, launched in mid-2023 to address these challenges.
About the Forum
The Athens Patients’ Forum promises to play a pivotal role in shaping the future of health care in Greece by ensuring that patient safety and quality of care remain central to health-care improvement initiatives, paving the way for a more patient-centred health-care system. By bringing together a diverse group of stakeholders, including health-care providers, policy-makers, patient advocacy groups, and international experts, the Forum will facilitate a multidisciplinary dialogue essential for comprehensive health-care reform.
Specifically, the Forum aims to enhance patient experience and safety in health care by fostering a network for sharing best practices and insights, addressing reforms, exploring innovative approaches, and developing recommendations for policy-makers and providers. It promotes patient involvement, integrates health improvements into national policies, and encourages the adoption of innovative health practices.
Event details
On 20 September, distinguished attendees, including members of the Greek Prime Minister’s Cabinet, the Minister and Alternate Minister of Health of Greece, and representatives from WHO/Europe, will convene for a one-day meeting at the Athens Conservatoire. Additionally, comprehensive coverage by local media outlets is anticipated.