WHO-SEARO ProLead Field Visit to ThaiHealth: Capacity Building on Leadership for Thai Health

the WHO-SEARO field visit to the Thai Health Promotion foundation, or ThaiHealth, with visiting participants from Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives, Nepal, and Myanmar. The ThaiHealth team presented their experiences establishing a health promotion program in Thailand and gave demonstrations of the interactive, health promotion related exhibits available at their campus in Sathorn. CapUHC helped to facilitate the group session and distributed CapUHC brochures and promotional materials to the participants and partners who were eager to learn more about universal health coverage in Thailand(photos below).

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Introduction to ThaiHealth
The Health Promotion Foundation Act of 2001 introduced a 2% surcharge tax on tobacco products to be paid directly to the newly created Thai Health Promotion Foundation. Independent of the excise tax, the tobacco surcharge is paid by cash or check daily, brings in $150 million USD every year, and represents just 1% of the total government health expenditure. One, year, and ten year plans for 14 key health issues drive program design and activities.
Session 1
After a brief introduction to ThaiHealth and a healthy lunch, the 22 participants were divided into three small groups and shown to three rally bases where they learned about various health promotion programs at ThaiHealth. The exhibitions and presentations focused on 1) Tobacco, Alcohol and Road Safety, 2) Physical Activity and Healthy Eating, and 3) Healthy Workplace and Community. Presenters shared a short presentation on their work and activities, distributed educational materials, and led participants in short demonstrations. At the alcohol awareness station, for example, participants attempted to toss a ball into a target a short distance away while wearing impairment goggles that gives the realistic feeling of being intoxicated. Participants were led in a short stretching and exercise demonstration at the physical activity station, using a resistance band tool that is inexpensive and easy to carry. Inside the healthy community exhibit, the ThaiHealth staff escorted the participants through miniature neighborhood simulations that depicted ways the community can be healthy through awareness, physical activity, and healthy eating.
Session 2
Dr. Supreda Adulyanon, ThaiHealth Deputy Chief Executive Officer, began the day’s final session by presenting ThaiHealth’s financial mechanisms to participants, highlighting that the dedicated tax allowed ThaiHealth to rollover funds from previous years and to use the money according to carefully crafted program plans. Dr. Supreda summarized ThaiHealth’s governance: two boards, an executive board with the prime minister serving as chairperson, and an evaluation board whose senators report back to the executive board govern ThaiHealth’s budget.
Dr. Piroj Saonuam, Director of Monitor and Evaluation Unit, stated that as an independent state agency, a quality monitoring and evaluation system is necessary for the organization. Each year, ThaiHealth spends significant funds to promote more than 1,000 projects through multi-sector partners. The M&E system is divided into two levels: 1) the project or program Level to detect and assure that all funding sufficient for the project’s outcomes, 2) organization level in which the Evaluation Board has the authority to review relevant documents, and produce an annual report to submit to the cabinet.
There are also challenges for ThaiHealth in the future, which will intensively focus on a result-based monitoring and evaluation system. A strong evaluation, high-performance capacity building, innovative and strategic thinking, including transparent and effective processes, will play important roles for ThaiHealth in the next decade.
Dr. Pairoj Saonuam, Director Monitor and evaluation Unit of ThaiHealth, highlighted the concept of the Social Return on Investment (SROI) that assesses the outcomes of implementation by comparing outcomes and inputs, and activities and outputs in monetary units. The three categories of impact considered include economic, environmental and people value. Currently, the ThaiHealth has seven studies of SROI, i.e., road traffic accidents, tobacco control, physical activities, food consumption project, consumer protection, children youth and family health and health of the elderly. Road traffic accident prevention ranked first in social return on investment among the seven categories, at 130.21 per 1 baht. It should also be noted that since ThaiHealth’s inception in 2002, the smoking rate in Thailand has steadily declined.
To find out more about health promotion in Thailand, and ThaiHealth’s programs and activities, visit: www.thaihealth.or.th