Committees we serve

Health Technology Advisory Council

From 1 April 2025, the Health Technology Advisory Council (HTAC) has been formed. It is responsible for providing evidence-based recommendations to the Ministry of Health (MOH) specifically for high-cost, high impact health technologies so that decisions for public funding of these technologies are made in a fair, efficient and sustainable manner.

The HTAC’s terms of reference:

1. To function as an independent professional body, to support the MOH in determining the appropriateness of financial support for high-cost, high-impact health technologies.

2. To review the assessments made by the MOH Drug and Medical Technology Advisory Committees (DAC and MTAC), with regards to the clinical and cost effectiveness of treatments and thereafter provide funding recommendations to MOH.

3. To explain its evaluation and recommendations publicly when necessary.

MOH Drug Advisory Committee

The MOH Drug Advisory Committee (DAC) is responsible for providing evidence-based recommendations to MOH so that decisions for public funding of drugs are made in a fair, efficient and sustainable manner.

The DAC’s terms of reference:

1. To prioritise drug applications for subsidy consideration which hold potential for driving significant improvement in health outcomes;

2. To appraise the clinical- and cost-effectiveness of drugs, vaccines and gene therapies based on available therapeutic, clinical and pharmacoeconomic evidence;

3. To provide listing recommendations to the Ministry of Health (MOH), including conditions and/or criteria for subsidy;

4. To provide recommendations to MOH about MediShield Life coverage for cancer treatments, including conditions and/or criteria for inclusion on the Cancer Drug List (CDL); and

5. To monitor the impact of ACE guidance on prescribers’ behaviours.

MOH Medical Technology Advisory Committee

The MOH Medical Technology Advisory Committee (MTAC) is responsible for providing evidence-based recommendation to MOH so that decisions for public funding of medical technologies are made in a fair, efficient and sustainable manner.

The MTAC's terms of reference:

1. To identify and prioritise medical technologies with potential to address care gaps, deliver significant improvements in health outcomes and/or patients experience, ease of operator use, and/or improvements in the efficient use of resources for evaluation;

2. To deliberate and serve as a lead discussant, if needed, on evidence including comparative safety, effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, total cost of the medical technology and organisational feasibility;

3. To recommend whether subsidy should be provided for a medical technology and, if so, the conditions and the criteria for subsidy;

4. To monitor the impact of ACE guidance on prescribers’ behaviours; and

5. To act as champions to drive adoption of MTAC-recommended medical technologies, in support of subsidy decisions based on principles of health technology assessment.

MOH National Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee

The MOH National Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee (NPT) is responsible for driving the appropriate use of drugs in public hospitals and institutions.

The NPT’s terms of reference:

1. To advise the Ministry on the development of initiatives to promote the use of evidence-based, safe and cost-effective medicines in public hospitals and institutions (PHIs).

2. To develop strategies to harmonise and guide PHI's formulary listing in alignment with the Ministry's drug subsidy decisions where appropriate and to facilitate timely listing of subsidised drugs.

3. To advocate appropriate use of medicines by:

   • promoting the use of generic alternatives (including biosimilars) of medicines, where available;

   • working collaboratively with stakeholders to influence appropriate use of medicines in the PHIs (including compliance with ACE Guidance, where available); and

   • facilitating the sharing of national drug utilisation data to provide PHIs with appropriate benchmark for reviewing each PHI’s practices.

MOH Evidence to Practice Advisory Committee

The MOH Evidence to Practice Advisory Committee (ETPAC) deliberates on clinical topics submitted to ACE to be considered for development into ACE Clinical Guidances (ACGs). ETPAC prioritises the topics based on considerations such as their impact on health and cost, potential for clinical- and cost-effectiveness, national health priorities, as well as regulatory and policy considerations.

The ETPAC’s terms of reference:

1.      To prioritise and approve topics with the greatest potential for impact in evidence-based practice and appropriate care, for development into clinical guidances

2.      To advise on opportunities for guidance implementation, and to facilitate collaboration with stakeholders to support ACE’s activities

3.      To review high-signature ACG recommendations based on factors such as, the clinical- and cost-effectiveness of ACE-evaluated health technologies, the clinical need, and estimated budgetary impact of such interventions

4.      To act as ambassadors to promote the adoption of guidance recommendations into clinical practice

MOH ACE Clinical Guidance Expert Groups

The MOH ACE Clinical Guidance (ACG) Expert Groups (EGs) advise ACE during ACG development to ensure that clinical content is accurate, current, and relevant for local practice. A multidisciplinary EG is appointed for each ACG topic.

EG’s terms of reference:

1. [For Co-Chairs only] To lead the Expert Group by facilitating effective and open discussions, and by moderating deliberations concerning the development and adoption of the ACG.

2. To support the development of the ACG by:

   • Reviewing international/local guidelines and the evidence underpinning the ACG; and

   • Advising on the relevance of the ACG for local practice; and

   • Participating in meetings and email discussions related to the ACG; and

   • Ensuring the accuracy, currency and applicability of the ACG by providing timely inputs, and incorporating appropriate and value-based care principles where needed; and

   • Contributing to the development or refinement of resources accompanying the ACG, such as:

     • Developing content for practice support tools (e.g. medication tables, clinical algorithms, referral guides)

     • Providing feedback on patient education aids

3. To be an ACG adoption champion by applying ACG recommendations as appropriate in own clinical practice and to drive ACG adoption among peers via relevant initiatives, such as:

   • Presenting ACG recommendations at relevant events or platforms (e.g. department meetings, teaching sessions, CMEs)

   • Integrating ACG recommendations into institutional/practice clinical protocols, care pathways and clinical decision support tools

   • Identifying and addressing adoption barriers and enablers where possible

4. To support ACE in the assessment of the ACG impact, for example by sharing information as needed on:

   • ACG adoption progress and uptake rates

   • Clinical impact and outcomes

   • Sustainability considerations

5. To support ACG outreach and awareness by:

   • Disseminating ACG and related resources through institutional, professional networks and communication channels;

   • Sharing ACG-related updates and resources on social media platforms e.g. LinkedIn, Facebook; and

   • Facilitating connections between ACE and relevant professional networks or subject matter experts when needed; and

   • Identifying opportunities for broader ACG dissemination, including internationally.

COI Position Statement