The IECS participated in the second edition of the international seminar “Towards the creation of a National Agency for the Assessment of Health Technologies in Argentina”, where it analyzed how to make decisions about coverage and allocation of health resources and the role of economic evidence both in the international and local panorama. 
The event, organized by the Government Secretariat of Health and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), took place on August 22 at the National Academy of Medicine and included presentations, among others, by the executive director of the IECS, the Dr. Andrés Pichon-Riviere, Y de Michael Drummond, professor of Health Economics at the University of York (Great Britain) and consultant to the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
Pichon-Riviere began his presentation with the question “How to evaluate and judge the value of technology and health interventions?” and presented a pproject that the IECS has been carrying out, “Application of economic evidence in decision-making on the allocation of health resources in Argentina: Brief discussion of seven key topics and a preliminary proposal for its implementation.” He was also in charge of coordinating a closing panel on the role of economic evidence in Argentina for coverage decisions.
Drummond gave two conferences on the use of economic evidence in decision-making and on the functioning of health technology assessment agencies in the world. In addition, he explained the advantages, disadvantages and potential of the applicability of international models in our country.
The inauguration of the seminar was carried out by the Secretary of Health, Dr. Adolfo RubinsteinWho explained that Argentine health spending is one of the highest in Latin America, with close to 10 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The official pointed out that this process has accelerated in the last two decades due to the massive appearance of new medications, devices and practices, in many cases more effective but at the same time more expensive and pointed out that it is precisely because of this characteristic that it is necessary to "have “robust scientific evidence to make transparent and legitimate decisions when setting priorities.”
For her part, the IDB's leading specialist in Social Protection, Ignez Tristao, pointed out that the IDB has platforms for knowledge exchange and regional learning.