HBP workshop showcases enthusiasm for greater collaboration between Latin American researchers

The event aimed to help address the challenges faced by researchers and decision makers based in Latin America, and concluded with support for the formation of stronger working relationships within the region and with external partners.‌‌

The event, organised by CHE with funding from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, UK Department for International Development (DFID) and the Rockefeller Foundation, through the International Decision Support Initiative (iDSI), took place in Santiago on 5 September 2015 and was attended by individuals from: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay, and Venezuela

Attendees represented a variety of organisations, including: universities, Ministries of Health, Health Technology Assessment (HTA) agencies, and regional public health organisations. They were joined by representatives from the Universities of Washington and Glasgow, and the EVIDEM Collaboration

The agenda saw economic evaluation specialists from the UK and North America sharing the stage with researchers from Latin America, to deliver engaging presentations on research methods and analytical techniques that could be utilised to support resource allocation decisions in Latin America.‌

CHE’s Mark Sculpher explored the recent developments in cost-effectiveness thresholds (CETs) – outlining York’s research on reflecting opportunity costs in cost-effectiveness analysis – and discussed the validity of the widely used 1 – 3 x GDP per capita CETs

Discussion sessions on implementing HBP saw accounts of the experiences of and challenges faced by attendees when making healthcare funding decisions. The issue of successfully communicating the results of CEA and how this informs resource allocations to lay people in Government and the public, was highlighted as a major challenge for many of the attendees.

Similarly, issues such as defining equity and managing potential conflicts of interest, arising from needing to give weight to particular stakeholders when conducting, for example, multi-criteria decision analysis, were also concerns for several attendees.

Developing and strengthening collaboration networks was recommended as a way to manage these challenges. CHE researchers encouraged their Latin American colleagues to foster working relationships with stakeholders and the media in their own nations, and with fellow researchers across Latin America. Methods devised to address region-specific challenges are more likely to be successful when developed through the sharing of expertise with neighbours

The event concluded with attendees expressing enthusiasm to engage more freely with their colleagues in the region, to develop methods and tools which can address challenges faced by all and which can be adapted for issues specific to each country

CHE would like to thank Emeritus Professor Tony Culyer for chairing the event, and Dr. Manuel Espinoza of Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile for all of his help with organising the workshop.

A summary of the event can be viewed here: iDSI Workshop on Health Benefit Packages-Summay Report (PDF , 616kb)