PGI Chandigarh secures Best Health Technology Assessment Institution award for second year
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.
