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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Distribution of Health Resources

Ratio of High-Cost Medical Technologies

Numbers of Patients
No. Disease
1 2 3 Cancer Heart disease

Death rate
47,000 45,000

No. of Patients
4,000,000 3,000,000 2,000,000

Coronary artery 21,000 disease

Diabetes

15,000

12,000,000
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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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Health Education
Formal
12 medical universities and public health colleges, nurse colleges Standard Medical Treatment Curriculums

Informal
Traditional and alternative medical treatment Preventing rather than curing

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

promotion

To enhance knowledge and

technology for health development

Development of management system for health

Development of health security and service quality

Development of basic factors for good health and health promotion

Development of people s health behaviour

Development of health knowledge and technology

Management of human resources for health

Development of country s competitiveness 7 in health

Targets and Situations under the National Health Development Plan during the 9th Plan Period, 2002-2006
Health impact
Reduce infant mortality rate to not exceeding 15 per 1,000 live births
Reduce maternal mortality to not exceeding 18 per 100,000 live births Increase life expectancy at birth - Female, to 77 years - Male, to 72 years Etc.

Reduction of health problems

Reduce malnutrition among children aged 0-5 years to not exceeding 7%
Reduce HIV infection prevalence rate - in conscripts to not exceeding 1% - in women of reproductive age to not exceeding 1% Reduce mortality rate due to cancer tonot exceeding 40 per 100,000 population Etc.

Health promotion
At least 80% of children aged 0-5 years have growth development according to their age At least 60% of the people exercise regularly Reduce smoking rate among people age 15 years and above to not exceeding 21%

Health care accessibility

All citizens have health security

The universal coverage of Healthcare scheme

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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Proportion of National Health Budget by Major Type of Programme (2002-2004):

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Thai Health Care system

Success Improvement of overall Thai peoples 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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Health Index of Thai People by Region

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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

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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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Impacts of The Universal Coverage of Healthcare

Positive
People have more health security especially poor people who dont have any health insurance. Promote an equal health budget allocation. Promote an equal right to access the health services.

Negative
Major public health budget was used for the universal coverage than other programs Ineffective health budget allocation to public health centers : Doctors move to private hospitals. Impact on long-term economic viability of health care centers Due to the limited national budget, lower health service quality.

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Other relevent issue:

Exercising Compulsory Licensing (CL) Ethical issues of doctors and drug companies

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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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All Thai people have an equal right to access the quality health services

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Expatriates Living in Thailand Our local website in English Chinese (Simplified) Chinese (Traditional) Japanese

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Thank you

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