The National Commission on International Trade and Health Studies (NCITHS) in collaboration with International Trade and Health Programme (ITH), a research programme under the International Health Policy Program (IHPP), organised the International Trade and Health
Conference on 10-11 March 2014 at Dusit Princess Srinakarin Hotel in Bangkok.
The conference was a venue for providing technical information on international trade and its impacts on health and the health system. It focused on positive and negative impacts of international trade on the health systems under three aspects, 1) the drug system, 2) health service system, and 3) other impacts on the health system.
The objective of the conference was to provide a technical forum for participants to:
exchange knowledge and understanding on international trade and its impacts on health and identify knowledge gaps that need to be addressed,
provide recommendations that can be used by concerned organizations for preparation of coherence trade negotiation on issues related to the health system
On the first day, participants were introduced to methodologies used in assessing impacts of international trade, followed by presentations of studies using such methodologies. In the afternoon, other issues on international trade agreements that may have impacts on health and the health systems were presented. These included the issues of consumer protection measures for the case on tobacco and alcohol labeling, trade in food – the new challenges for the next decade, and investment protection where several case studies were presented. The first day ended with the conclusion of presentation and discussion and compilation of recommendations from the conference.
The morning of the second day focused on the drug system, access to medicine, intellectual property protection and other related issues. Following the presentations on important issues from international trade concerning medicine, IP and non-IP related issues, a panel of speakers presented findings from related studies followed by the cases of current problems and coping mechanisms (GSPA-PHI and PIP framework). The conclusion and recommendations from the second day was then presented to the participants.
Around 150 participants were invited and they actively discussed over the course of two-day conference.