1. Public Health Situation in Thailand
By
Choen Krainara
Suleeporn Boonbongkarn
Chaba Srisuno
Jirapa Sophon
Regional and Rural Development Planning Field of Study
School of Environment, Resources and Development
Asian Institute of Technology (AIT)
2008
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2. Distribution of Health Resources
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3. Ratio of High-Cost Medical Technologies
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4. Numbers of Patients
No. Disease Death rate No. of Patients
1 Cancer 47,000 4,000,000
2 Heart disease 45,000 3,000,000
3 Coronary artery 21,000 2,000,000
disease
4 Diabetes 15,000 12,000,000
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5. Health Research
Research Projects on Health System
Reforms
Research Projects on Diseases and Health
Problems
- Anti-AIDS Traditional Medicine
- National Newborn Screening Project
- Research Package on Diseases and
Health Problems
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6. Health Education
Formal Informal
• 12 medical universities • Traditional and
and public health alternative medical
colleges, nurse colleges treatment
• Standard Medical • Preventing rather
Treatment Curriculums than curing
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7. The National Health Policy (the 9th Plan Period, 2002-2006)
Image of Desirable Thai Society and Health
Development Concept: People-centred and self-Sufficiency Economy
Objectives of Health Development
To create a proactive health system To create a health security system
To strengthen self-care and health To enhance knowledge and
promotion technology for health development
Development Development of Development of basic Development of
of management health security factors for good health people ‘s health
system for and service and health promotion behaviour
health quality
Development of Management of Development of
health knowledge and human resources country ‘s competitiveness
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technology for health in health

8. Targets and Situations under the National Health
Development Plan during the 9th Plan Period, 2002-2006
Reduction Health Health
Health impact of health problems promotion care accessibility
• Reduce infant • Reduce malnutrition • At least 80% of All citizens have
mortality rate to not among children aged children aged 0-5 health security
exceeding 15 per 1,000 0-5 years to not years have growth
live births exceeding 7% development
according The
• Reduce HIV infection
• Reduce maternal to their age universal
prevalence rate
mortality to not • At least 60% of coverage of
exceeding 18 per - in conscripts to not the people exercise Healthcare
100,000 live births exceeding 1% regularly scheme
•Reduce smoking
- in women of
• Increase life rate among people
reproductive age to not
expectancy at birth age 15 years and
exceeding 1%
- Female, to 77 years above to not
- Male, to 72 years • Reduce mortality rate exceeding 21%
due to cancer tonot
Etc. exceeding 40 per
100,000 population
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Etc.

9. Policy on Decentralization
Proposed New Decentralized Health System
Decentralization Situation
• Until December 2004, there was not much progress in
decentralization of the health sector.
• Factors hamper the decentralization include:
• Limited budget
• Ineffective cooperation
• Inadequate human resource
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10. Proportion of National Health Budget by
Major Type of Programme (2002-2004):
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12. Thai Health Care system
Success
• Improvement of overall Thai people’s health situation
• Promotion of an equal access to healthcare
Strengths
• Professional experts
• Advanced medical technologies such as health facilities
and equipments
• Effective vaccination and epidemic disease control
• Alternative medical treatment
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13. 13

14. Health Index of Thai
People by Region
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16. Health Care system
Problems
• Inequities of Medical and Health Services
– Inequities in Resources Allocation
– Inequities in Access to Health care
– Inequities in Health Status
– Inequities in Bearing Healthcare Cost
• Problems of Health Services System Efficiency
– Problems of Health Services Efficiency
– Problems of Investment in Hospital Beds
– Problems of the Quality of Service System 16

17. Health Care system
Weaknesses
•Centralization of budget and organization
• Lack of both physicians and medical
technologies in micro-level
• Lack of accessibility to health care services
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18. Impacts of The Universal Coverage of Healthcare
Positive Negative
• People have more health security • Major public health budget was used
especially poor people who don’t have for the universal coverage than other
any health insurance. programs
• Promote an equal health budget • Ineffective health budget allocation to
allocation. public health centers : Doctors move
• Promote an equal right to access the to private hospitals.
health services. • Impact on long-term economic
viability of health care centers
• Due to the limited national budget,
lower health service quality.
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19. Other relevent issue:
• Exercising Compulsory Licensing (CL)
• Ethical issues of doctors and drug companies
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20. Recommendations
1. Decrease an inequality of health service and
health care
2. Decrease an inefficiency of resource allocation
3. Promote alternative treatment and preventive
measures
4. Take a long term look at the subsidy of health
care plan for example 30 baht health scheme
and universal health coverage scheme
5. Promote decentralization
6. Learn more about drug patent and study more
about important drugs for poor people
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21. “…All Thai people have an
equal right to access the
quality health services…”
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23. Expatriates Living in Thailand
Our local website in
English
Chinese (Simplified)
Chinese
(Traditional)
Japanese
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24. Thank
you
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