NICE International at the high level Groundwork meeting in Hanoi

Apr. 22, 2015

The Groundwork project, led my Meteos, has taken place over the past 12 months with the aim of discussing and working through some of the challenges (technical and political) of setting up and running processes for evidence-informed decision-making in health systems within low- and middle-income countries.

The group has met twice bringing together participants including;

  • senior individuals and advisors from Colombia, Ghana, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam health ministries
  • executives from Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline and Janssen Pharmaceuticals (Johnson & Johnson)
  • priority-setting experts from NICE International, the Health Intervention and Technology Assessment Program and the Center for Global Development.

As a result of the discussions, the group drafted a set of principles which could form the starting point of future collaborations between industry and policy makers in LMICs.

 Hanoi stakeholder meeting

On 22 April 2015, the Vietnamese Ministry of Health hosted the multi-stakeholder high level Groundwork meeting, in Hanoi. The meeting brought together the Groundwork participants, ministers, academics, donors, and representatives from Indonesia and Singapore. The objective of the meeting was to present the principles developed as part of the Groundwork project to key stakeholders involved in healthcare priority-setting and discuss areas for future collaboration.

Professor Pham Le Tuan, Vietnamese Vice-Minister of Health, gave an opening address, welcoming the participants to Vietnam and highlighted the importance of the Groundwork project.

Sir Andrew Witty, CEO of GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), gave a talk during which he expressed GSK’s support of the Groundwork project and highlighted the importance of building a trusting relationship with policy makers from LMICs.

Sir Andrew Dillon, Chief Executive of NICE, chaired a panel of representatives from:

  • Ministries of Health, Professor Pham Le Tuan,
  • Vice Minister of Health, Vietnam, Dr Victor Asare,
  • Deputy Minister  of Health, Ghana and
  • Dr Siswit Titarado, Chief Advisor to Public Health Minister, Thailand,

All conveyed their support of the of the Groundwork project and the draft principles.

The principles will be finalised and published by Meteos in the coming months, following a final consultation with the Groundwork participants.