- Home
- DescriptionNews
Saima Wazed visit Thailand to explore UHC and Thai health system
On December 20, NHSO secretary-general Dr. Jadej Thammatacharee and BMA Health Department director-general Dr. Suntorn Suntornchart jointly welcomed Saima Wazed, the Regional Director-elect for WHO South-East Asia, at Public Health Center 4 in Din Daeng district to illustrated the UCS seamless primary healthcare services in an urban area.
Saima Wazed, the newly appointed Regional Director, will take office as the new regional director for WHO South-East Asia in February 2024. With more than ten years of mental health advocacy and policy development, one of her goals is to ensure that mental is incorporated within the entire health system.
During her visit to Thailand, NHSO and the Department of Health, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration arranged a site visit to showcase various services, including chronic patient care, mental health care, home care, and end-stage renal disease services within the primary healthcare setup.
“I am here to learn how you address the same issue in your country. What are the challenges you face? I think sharing knowledge is what the regional office will focus on.” Saima stated.
Dr Jadej explained that the purpose of the visit was to illustrate Bangkok's primary healthcare services supported by universal health coverage (UHC). These services employ community-based care mechanisms, extending care from hospitals to households and preventing financial crises due to healthcare expenses.
He said that despite Bangkok being a capital city with numerous hospitals, some populations still need access to healthcare services.
To address this, NHSO collaborates with BMA and the Ministry of Public Health to engage private healthcare units, such as telemedicine, pharmacies, general clinics, and rehabilitation clinics, into the healthcare system.
To tackle health inequality, access to health promotion and disease prevention services has been expanded for all Thai citizens, regardless of their healthcare scheme. They can avail of these services by presenting their national identification cards at primary health units.
"Approximately 700,000 people in Bangkok are residing here without transferring their healthcare rights to the capital," explained Dr Jadej.
“Implementing the policy of using one national identification card involves connecting data from all healthcare units, which poses a technical challenge rather than a service provision challenge.”
Dr Suntorn added that BMA and NHSO collaborate to provide primary healthcare services, divided by district. BMA’s public health centers act as care managers for each district and collaborate with private healthcare unit networks in the area.
BMA has established the 'Bangkok Health Zone' to oversee health services in specific localities, with BMA-run hospitals coordinating the network. State hospitals and NHSO serve as mentors for this network, ensuring seamless care at all levels.
"Bangkok offers a blended model of service between the public and private sectors, unlike other provinces where the public sector predominantly runs primary healthcare units," said Dr Suntorn.
"BMA operates 69 public health centers, accounting for approximately 40% of primary care units in the capital. The rest are privately run health units, with more than 200 units across Bangkok."
Srichanok Thongbai, a relative of chronic renal disease patient, shared that the primary healthcare services provided by BMA significantly reduce financial burdens and the time spent going to hospitals.
"We can perform dialysis at home while hospital staff visit us regularly and collect blood samples when needed. We occasionally visit the hospital to obtain blood test results and medication. It's extremely convenient."
Saima Wazed, the newly appointed Regional Director, will take office as the new regional director for WHO South-East Asia in February 2024. With more than ten years of mental health advocacy and policy development, one of her goals is to ensure that mental is incorporated within the entire health system.
During her visit to Thailand, NHSO and the Department of Health, Bangkok Metropolitan Administration arranged a site visit to showcase various services, including chronic patient care, mental health care, home care, and end-stage renal disease services within the primary healthcare setup.
“I am here to learn how you address the same issue in your country. What are the challenges you face? I think sharing knowledge is what the regional office will focus on.” Saima stated.
Dr Jadej explained that the purpose of the visit was to illustrate Bangkok's primary healthcare services supported by universal health coverage (UHC). These services employ community-based care mechanisms, extending care from hospitals to households and preventing financial crises due to healthcare expenses.
He said that despite Bangkok being a capital city with numerous hospitals, some populations still need access to healthcare services.
To address this, NHSO collaborates with BMA and the Ministry of Public Health to engage private healthcare units, such as telemedicine, pharmacies, general clinics, and rehabilitation clinics, into the healthcare system.
To tackle health inequality, access to health promotion and disease prevention services has been expanded for all Thai citizens, regardless of their healthcare scheme. They can avail of these services by presenting their national identification cards at primary health units.
"Approximately 700,000 people in Bangkok are residing here without transferring their healthcare rights to the capital," explained Dr Jadej.
“Implementing the policy of using one national identification card involves connecting data from all healthcare units, which poses a technical challenge rather than a service provision challenge.”
Dr Suntorn added that BMA and NHSO collaborate to provide primary healthcare services, divided by district. BMA’s public health centers act as care managers for each district and collaborate with private healthcare unit networks in the area.
BMA has established the 'Bangkok Health Zone' to oversee health services in specific localities, with BMA-run hospitals coordinating the network. State hospitals and NHSO serve as mentors for this network, ensuring seamless care at all levels.
"Bangkok offers a blended model of service between the public and private sectors, unlike other provinces where the public sector predominantly runs primary healthcare units," said Dr Suntorn.
"BMA operates 69 public health centers, accounting for approximately 40% of primary care units in the capital. The rest are privately run health units, with more than 200 units across Bangkok."
Srichanok Thongbai, a relative of chronic renal disease patient, shared that the primary healthcare services provided by BMA significantly reduce financial burdens and the time spent going to hospitals.
"We can perform dialysis at home while hospital staff visit us regularly and collect blood samples when needed. We occasionally visit the hospital to obtain blood test results and medication. It's extremely convenient."
