FIELD TRIPS
30 January 2020
Universal health coverage (UHC) is the aspiration that all people at all ages can obtain the health service needs of good quality without suffering financial hardship. Health services cover health promotion, prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and palliative care, and all types of services across the life course.
Thailand has achieved UHC with the National Health Security Act in 2002. The main objectives are reducing the service needs gaps, providing more access to healthcare services, and protecting people from financial hardship due to health expenditure. Throughout seventeen years of UHC implementation efforts, accessibility to necessary health services have been improved with quality of health care and financial protection to families. Thai UHC in action has been introduced and implemented by related stakeholders not only government agencies, but also non-governmental sectors civil societies, and consumers. Evidences of these efforts include financial and non-financial interventions to promote the health status of vulnerable groups, such as prisoners, the elderly, disabled people, women and children, chronic disease patients, people living in rural areas and other risk groups.
The Prince Mahidol Award Conference in 2020 (PMAC 2020) will be organized under the topic “Accelerating Progress Towards Universal Health Coverage. ” The PMAC 2020 field trip will be arranged to share experience in implementing Universal Health Coverage initiatives to reduce barriers and to enhance social inclusion of vulnerable populations in different settings and groups. The concept notes of 7 site visits proposed for PMAC 2020 are described below, according to the sub-theme:
SUB-THEME 1
IMPLEMENTATION CHALLENGES
AND INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR UHC 2030
Site 1: Universal Health Coverage for High Cost Treatments: Interdisciplinary Care for Kidney Disease
Location : HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Medical Center, Nakhonnayok and Buengyitho Medical and Rehabilitation Center, PathumthaniKidney disease, resulting in a high fatality rate, is one of the most important health issues in Thailand. Furthermore, financial barriers due to high cost of treatment and after-care as well as a limitation of suitable service facilities have affected patient care need. The Nation....
Site 2: Quality of Life of Prisoners: Samutprakan Central Prison
Location : Samutprakan Central Prison, SamutprakanAccording to the prisons survey, it was found that there are very few prisoners who could access to healthcare services due to many reasons such as various obstacles to access, personal security of the prisoners, and not enough health workforce. Therefore, an MOU in January 2019 set up Samutpraka....
SUB-THEME 2
Sustainable Financing for Expanding
and Deepening UHC
Site 3: Primary Care Cluster to Promote Universal Health Coverage
Location : Pakchong District Health System, Nakhon RatchasimaIn 2016, the Ministry of Public Health launched the 12th National Health Development Plan 2017-2021 to establish primary care clusters, the primary care system with an adequate number of family doctors and multidisciplinary teams. The primary care policy aims to improve primary care services to e....
Site 4: Matching Funds for Better Rehabilitation and Intermediate Care
Location : Saraburi Provincial Administrative Organization and Saohai HospitalSaraburi Provincial Rehabilitation Funds are matching funds set to be contributed in equal amount from the National Health Security Office and Saraburi Provincial Administrative Organization. The funds were launched in accordance with Section 47 of the National Health Security....
SUB-THEME 3
Adapting to the Changing Global Landscape:
Fostering UHC-Based Solidarity to Drive Towards SDGs
Site 5: Primary Care Trusts, e-Referral, and Mobile Health Application in Capital City Fostering Universal Health Coverage-Based Solidarity to Drive Towards SDGs
Location : Bhumibol Adulyadej HospitalA collaboration of big public hospitals with private clinics to primary care services close to home before referring to the hospital has been initiated to solve over-crowding problems in public hospitals. The primary care units and the hospitals have been strengthened by the system called “....
Site 6: Universal Health Coverage for Innovative Cost-effective Service: One Day Surgery
Location : Pahonpolpayuhasena Hospital, KanchanaburiThe Ministry of Public Health has been setting the 5-year-goal for One Day Surgery (ODS) to cover at least one health unit in each regional health area within 2021. Because of no admission, the One Day Surgery system possibly reduces the national expenditure by around 1,267.50 million Baht by sup....
Site 7: Universal Health Coverage Investment and Management to Access Orphan Antidotes
Location : Ramathibodi Poison Center, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University.UHC scheme of Thailand has paid attention to the orphan drugs since this scheme was initiated in 2002. More than 10 years of implementation, concrete solutions have been used to save many patients’ lives. Queen Saovabha Memorial Institute and Ramathibodi Poison Center are the exam....