Chandigarh, December 18
PGIMER Chandigarh, has been conferred the title of Best Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Institute in the Country for the second consecutive year by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India. The award was presented at a national conclave titled ARISE 2025, held at Sushma Swaraj Bhawan, New Delhi, and organized by Health Technology Assessment in India (HTAIn)—the central HTA body under the MoHFW. The honour was jointly conferred by Prof. V. K. Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog and Dr. Rajiv Bahl, Director-General, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and Secretary, Department of Health Research (DHR).
This marks the second time PGIMER has received this national recognition, having earlier been adjudged the best HTA institute at the ICMR–DHR Health Summit held in New Delhi last year. PGIMER’s leadership in the field of HTA is anchored in the HTA Resource Hub established by the Department of Health Research at the Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health, PGI. The Hub is led by Prof. Shankar Prinja, Professor of Health Economics, who has played a pivotal role in building national capacity for evidence-informed health decision-making.
The ARISE 2025 ceremony witnessed participation from over 35 premier medical colleges and ICMR institutes engaged in HTA activities across the country. Addressing the gathering, Prof. V.K.Paul underlined that the vision of ‘Viksit Bharat’ can be realized only through strong, credible institutions, and emphasized that the role of Health Technology Assessment is quintessential for ensuring that public money is allocated to interventions that deliver the greatest health gains in an equitable and efficient manner. Reflecting on India’s HTA journey over the past eight years, Dr. Rajiv Bahl noted that HTA has emerged as a powerful policy tool for the Government of India, enabling more rational and transparent resource allocation. He highlighted its role in designing reimbursement rates under Ayushman Bharat–PMJAY, facilitating procurement of high-value medical devices at value-based prices, and supporting evidence-based coverage decisions. Dr. Bahl commended Prof. Prinja and the PGIMER team for their sustained efforts in strengthening HTA capacity nationwide, while also stressing the need to further expand institutional and human resource capacity to keep pace with rapid advances in medical science.
Director PGIMER Prof. Vivek Lal lauded PGI’s contribution to policy-relevant research, and noted that the Institute will continue to strengthen the efforts in building more capacity in this field in the entire country. Prof Arun Kumar Aggarwal highlighted the commitment of Department of Community Medicine and School of Public Health in creating more advanced courses in the field of health economics and HTA. Speaking at the ceremony, Prof. Prinja talked about the challenges faced by institutions in conducting and applying HTA for policy use. He outlined a clear roadmap for advancing HTA in India, emphasizing that closer and more sustained engagement with policymakers and key health system stakeholders, along with continuous improvement in the way studies are designed and evidence is generated, is essential to ensure that findings meaningfully inform decisions and translate into real-world impact.
The recognition reinforces PGI Chandigarh’s position as a national leader in health and medical research and its continuing contribution to strengthening evidence-based, value-oriented decision-making within India’s health system.
