Health Care Reform In Thailand

The main health care provider of Thailand is the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and it plays an essential role in health system performance and reform. Since the establishment of MoPH in 1922, health care reform has led to development of the public hospital system to every province and every district in the country. Initially, the health care system focus more on curative care in hospital settings rather than other dimensions of care. But in 1973, a second health system reform began. The structure of the MoPH was reorganized, which provided an opportunity for the expansion of medical services at the district level, but also focused on strengthening the role of public health activities especially the promotion of “primary health care”.

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This is due to according to the 2003 Act on Older Persons, older adults have the right to access convenient and rapid medical and health care services. In April 2005, the MoPH issued a Ministerial Notification that medical and public health services should be conveniently and rapidly accessible to elderly. Therefore, hospitals under the supervision of the MoPH throughout the country are required to accelerate their adoption of these measures. A “Green Channel or Fast Lane” for elderly was created in order to aid older adult’s rapid access to medical services in the outpatient section of hospitals without needing to wait in long queue. The MoPH has reported that 90% of public hospitals throughout the country have already set up this green channel for the elderly. Geriatric clinics too have been developed in hospitals

There are also 12 community health care programmes provided by the government which focus on disease prevention, provision of health services, maternal and child health care and nutrition through a primary health care approach. Policy guidelines from WHO’s International Plan of Action on Ageing encouraged the Government of Myanmar to launch the Elderly Health Care Project with the support of WHO. The project aims to promote the health of the elderly and increase the accessibility of geriatric care services. Beginning in 1993 with six townships, the project has expanded every year. In each project township, all Basic Health Staff, usually 50-60 in number, along with a group of 20 - 30 doctors, nurses and Voluntary Health Workers and local NGOs, bringing the total to about 80-90 health care workers, are trained in elderly health care. Doctors and nurses are further trained in the case management of elderly patients in