Thailand Country Cooperation Strategy 2022–2026

Übersicht

Thailand is at the forefront of social development and one of the fastest-growing economies in Asia and South-East Asia. Thailand became an upper-middle-income country in 2011 and it is a major exporter in the region. Continuous reforms and measures to improve the health system have led to significant improvement of the overall health status of the population. Since the introduction of the Universal Health Coverage in 2002, every Thai citizen is now entitled to essential preventive, health promotion, curative and palliative health services throughout the life course, and is protected from the risk of catastrophic health-care expenditure.

Thailand is actively present in various global health forums including the WHO governing body platforms, multilateral platforms and other regional and global institutions, and is emerging as a key stakeholder in global health policy, diplomacy and trade, where middle- and low-income countries are not well represented.

However, the country is faced with various health challenges. Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and their associated risk factors, as well as road traffic accidents, are persistently claiming the lives of thousands of Thai people every year, causing significant economic loss. Antimicrobial resistance threatens the gains made against infectious diseases. Given the backdrop of the recent pandemic, preparedness for public health emergencies is important more than ever. As a major migrant-receiving country in the region, improved health service delivery and health status of migrants in Thailand also remain a challenge. Furthermore, as an emerging industrialized country, a robust digital health strategy that contributes to a more efficient and sustainable health system, enabling them to deliver good quality, affordable and equitable care, is yet lacking.

The Sixth Country Cooperation Strategy (CCS) (2022–2026) is WHO’s strategic vision for its work with the Royal Thai Government and its partners. It aims to improve systems needed to implement national health policies, strategies and plans and to achieve national targets under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The CCS 2022–2026 is informed by a country-driven process and based on an analysis of the health context in Thailand as well as lessons learnt from the implementation of the previous CCS 2017–2021. It was characterized by a cascading series of consultations which were highly participatory, multistakeholder and multisectoral, engaging the Ministry of Public Health, WHO and many governmental and nongovernmental agencies which formed a tripartite leadership and implementation structure for this CCS.

The CCS 2022–2026 is aligned with the priorities set out in the Thirteenth National Economic and Social Development Plan (NESDP) and the 20-year Strategic Plan (2017–2036) for Thailand, the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2022–2026, World Health Assembly and Regional Committee Resolutions, WHO South-East (SE) Asia Office Regional Flagship Priorities, WHO’s Thirteenth General Programme of Work (GPW 13) (2019–2023, extended to 2025) and the SDGs.

Six priority programmes were identified for this CCS through a consultative process:

1. Convergence of digital health platforms and health information systems in Thailand (Digital Health)
2. Enhancing Leadership in Global Health-Thailand (EnLIGHT)
3. Health in all public policies for the prevention and control of NCDs (NCDs)
4. Migrant health
5. Public Health Emergency (PHE) policy and system in Thailand
6. Road safety