Accelerating Progress towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC) H.E. Anutin Charnvirakul Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Health, Thailand Prince Mahidol Award Conference, 31 January 2020, Bangkok, Thailand

1. Accelerating Progress towards
Universal Health Coverage (UHC)
H.E. Anutin Charnvirakul
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Health, Thailand
Prince Mahidol Award Conference, 31 January 2020, Bangkok, Thailand 1

2. Outlines
 The UHC contributes to the SDGs
 What brought us this far?
 How can we collectively accelerate the progress to achieve
sustainable UHC?
2

3. How the Thai UHC contributes to the SDGs?
Prevented around 75,000 households from medical poverty annually
SDG 1
3

4. Full Population
Coverage 2002
Source: World Bank
Pre-UHC Post-UHC
4
 Increase service utilization with low unmet needs
 Less gap of Infant Mortality rate among provinces
 Improve Average of Life expectancy at birth
SDG 3
Life Expectancy at birth

5. 112,831 113,610
16,450
39,840
-
20,000
40,000
60,000
80,000
100,000
120,000
140,000
160,000
180,000
FinalConsumption Intermediate
MillionsofBaht
Domestic Import
129,281
153,450
economic return, income redistribution and health industry
5
1.2 times
UCS investment
SDG 8, 9
Return on UHC investment Income redistribution by UHC

6. 6
R
G
AS
P
Good Governance (political power)
Health System
Research &
Regulatory
Capacity
(Brain)
Adequate and
Equitable Health
Systems (Body)
S-A-F-E financing
(energy)
Political/Social
Commitment&
Ownership
(soul/spirit)
What brought us this far, G-R-A-S-P?

7. G Good Governance – Transparent and Participatory structure in Thai UHC board
Source: National Health Security Act 2002
7
Minister of Public Health (1)
Local Government(4)
Ex-officio of public agencies (8)
Experts from the 7 fields(7)
Civil Society Organizations in 9 areas (5)
Health Professional Councils (4)
Private Hospital Association (1)
Every meeting of the board is live webcasted
Thai UHC board members

8. R – Research and regulatory capacity
Capacity building based on INNE – Individual, Node,
Network and Environment
8
2007
2002
20001992
The Healthcare
Accreditation Institute (HAI)
1999
Health Systems Research Institute

9. A - Adequate and equitable health care systems
based on primary health care
• Strong political will to reallocate resources to build up good rural
infrastructure in 1980s
• Extensive production of rural community health workers and health
professionals
• Measures to retain and motivate/incentivized health professionals
9

10. S Sustainability The country, the government and the people can afford
in the long run
A Adequacy Adequate finance for comprehensive essential services
and financial protection
F Fairness Social solidarity - the healthy supports the sick and the
rich pays more
E Efficiency Our UHC priorities
• Health promotion and diseases prevention and
primary care based health system
• Health technology assessment
• Close end budgeting systems 10
S The S-A-F-E financing systems

11. P Political Commitment - Total Government Health Expense
(% of Total Government Expense), 1985-2015
4
9.9 10
11.1
12.5
13.3
17
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
1985 1995 2000 2005 2010 2014 2015
Percentage
Year
Source of data: WDI, https://data.worldbank.org/data-catalog/world-development-indicators access Oct 31, 2017&NHA, 2013 11

12. “Put the public interest as
first priority’
Prince Mahidol
‘Chance favors prepared
minds’
Louise Pastuer
Mobilize and support Champions and committed health
professionals to accelerate progress to achieve and sustain UHC
12

13. Champions ‘Those with high social and
intellectual capital who never quit until the goal
has been achieved’
Champions ‘G-R-A-S-P’ all opportunity to achieve
and sustain UHC
13