Experience sharing on Thai Universal Health Coverage (UHC) with Professor Dr.Amartya Sen was held on Thursday 27th February, 2014 at Holiday Inn Silom Bangkok. Professor Dr.Amartya Sen is an Indian Economist and a Nobel Prize Winner in Economic
Sciences in 1998 for his work on famine, human development theory, welfare economics, the underlying mechanisms of poverty, and political liberalism. He quite interests in effective and efficient Thai Universal Health Coverage and others which related to health system.
The objectives of the meeting were to exchange experiences on Thai Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and to build up a network among participants. The participants came from variety organization which related to UHC for instance; Dr.suwit and Dr.Weerasak from IHPP, Dr.Samrit from NHSO, Dr.Walaiporn from CAP UHC, Ms.Kannikar and Ms.Nanoot from NHCO, Dr.Suriya from Ministry Of Public Health, and also the representative from Rockefeller Foundation, Ms.Natalie, the representative from WHO, Dr.Yonas Tegegn and the representative from World Bank, Dr.Toomas Palu and young staffs from IHPP.
Dr.Samrit presented Professor Dr.Amartya Sen about remarkable National Health services, National Healthinsurance andSchool of Public Health of Thailandand also Rural Health Care system. After presenting, Dr.Toomas Palu from world Bank, Dr.Yona Tegegn from WHO and Ms.Natalie Phaholyothin from Rockefeller Foundation, also commend Thai UHC as well as other components of Thai health system i.e. participatory process of National Health agenda through the deliberation of all stakeholders at annual National Health Assembly; intellectual individual and institutes to produce evidence and to bridge evidence with policy decision process; economic growth of the country which was a fundamental factor; expansion of basic infrastructure like road, and public utility; improvement of nutrition, sanitation and hygiene of the country. Nonetheless, although with this achievement, Thailand urgently needs to consider how the country copes with many challenges e.g. demographic change of aging society; epidemiology change of rapid trends on NCDs; new and expensive technology etc.
This meeting showed that Thai UHC gained highly and widely acceptance and this was an opportunity for CAP UHC to share invaluable knowledge and experiences and implementation of Thailand to other developing countries which their goal to achieve UHC.