As Thailand developed rapidly to upper-middle-income country status, access to health services radically increased for its population. Thailand executed a number of reforms and pledged major investments to the development of its health financing, health workforce and health infrastructure. The reforms eventually culminated in Thailand achieving universal health coverage (UHC) in its dual health system in 2002 through three public health insurance schemes. These schemes improved the coverage for an estimated 37 million Thai and led to large increases in the utilisation of health services and respective improvements in the health status of the population (WHO, 2017).
These developments however also led to increasing (financial) pressures on Thailand’s health system leading to the fast growth of the cost of healthcare and increasing congestion in government hospitals. These pressures are exacerbated by a growing elderly population and a higher burden of non-communicable (chronic) diseases. To maintain and improve the Thai UHC and economy in this context, Thai public and private decisionmakers are open to engaging in international partnerships to implement innovative solutions which improve the quality, accessibility and affordability of its health system. The global growing burden of lifestyle and age-related health issues, however, is not only considered a cost but also as an opportunity for Thai decisionmakers in healthcare. Under the vision of Thailand 4.0, the country aims to establish Thailand as a global medical hub by strengthening the country’s prominent medical tourism and technology industries.
This report was commissioned by the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO.nl) and is produced by the Task Force Health Care (TFHC) in cooperation with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Bangkok and Singapore. It aims to align the respective Life Sciences & Health sectors of the Netherlands and Thailand. In an effort to increase mutual understanding and inspire collaboration between these countries, this report provides useful insights into the Thai health system and sector and identifies potential areas of opportunity.