Public Health Minister Patana Promphat led a meeting of the Public Health Emergency Operations Centre where officials confirmed that nine other district hospitals have suspended some services and that 552 patients have been moved to alternative facilities. Seven tambon hospitals have also reduced operations.

Across the border, Cambodia’s Health Ministry and the United Nations Development Programme signed an MoU on Dec. 9 aimed at strengthening a resilient and inclusive healthcare system. Health Minister Chheang Ra thanked UNDP for ongoing support, while UN Assistant Secretary General Kanni Wignaraja said the partnership will support digital innovation and long-term health financing.

The amended Alcoholic Beverage Control Act, effective November 8, allows authorities to fine individuals at least 10,000 baht (about US$300) for drinking during prohibited hours or in restricted areas. Violators may also face up to six months in jail. Bars and restaurants serving alcohol during the banned periods can be penalized as well.

Thailand’s long-standing sales restrictions remain in place. Alcohol cannot be sold from midnight to 11 a.m. and from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. The law introduces exemptions for certain venues, including licensed entertainment establishments, hotel room service, and international airport terminals.

Apart from consumer penalties, the legislation tightens rules on advertising. Commercial promotions must stick to factual information, and endorsements by celebrities or influencers are not allowed. Lawmakers say the changes form part of a wider public health effort aimed at reducing alcohol-related accidents and social problems.

Business groups warn the new measures could dent revenues, particularly in areas that rely on tourists who often drink during daytime activities. As well, it is putting some tourism operators on edge as the restriction could jeopardize Thailand’s reputation as a travel destination. Amid this shakeup , restaurant owners and nightlife operators are watching the rollout closely, wary of inconsistent enforcement and its possible impact during the peak travel season.

Rethinking weed policy amid rising health concerns

Three years after decriminalizing cannabis, Thailand is reviewing its policy as experts warn of rising youth use, health complications, and lax regulation.

At a recent forum, health and legal experts reported that cannabis use among 18- to 19-year-olds rose from under 1% in 2019 to nearly 10% in 2022. Although rates have slightly declined since, they remain significantly higher than pre-legalization levels. Cases of psychosis and acute intoxication have also increased, with healthcare costs in 2023 exceeding 15.8 billion baht.
Nearly 18,000 licensed cannabis shops now operate nationwide, alongside many unlicensed vendors, particularly in tourist areas where enforcement is weak and age verification often lacking. International travel advisories and legal uncertainty have added pressure on Thai authorities to tighten oversight.

Critics attribute the problems to the absence of a clear regulatory framework following the 2022 decriminalization. A proposed bill under review aims to restrict cannabis use to medical purposes and introduce stricter controls.

Campaign launched to tackle NCDs

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Public Health is intensifying efforts to reduce non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which cause over 1,000 deaths daily and threaten both public health and economic development.
On June 16, Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin chaired a meeting to advance the national NCD prevention and control plan for 2023–2027. The session concluded with the launch of the “Slim Down, Stop NCDs” campaign, aimed at reducing premature deaths linked to heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

NCDs account for more than 400,000 deaths annually, or 81% of all deaths in Thailand. These are largely driven by lifestyle and environmental risk factors, including poor diet, inactivity, smoking, and excessive alcohol use.
Some progress has been made, with reductions in smoking, sodium consumption, and alcohol intake. However, key indicators such as hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and physical inactivity remain off track. Officials stressed the need for stronger coordination across government, the private sector, and civil society.

The risk of early death from NCDs has declined slightly—from 14.8% in 2010 to 14.6% in 2022. The government’s target is to bring this down to 11.07% by 2025.

To promote implementation, a new sub-committee will oversee the rollout of the national plan, ensuring alignment with agency goals and measurable outcomes. Long-term success, officials say, will rely on collective action and encouraging individuals to take charge of their own health.

Indonesian Foreign Minister Sugiono and Thai Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin signed the agreement. The deal aims to boost both countries’ capacity to handle global health threats and improve coordination during future pandemics.

Related: Cambodian Health Ministry warns of rising Covid-19 subvariant JN.1 cases 

The agreement comes as Thailand faces a spike in Covid-19 infections. Between May 11 and 15, health officials reported 14,751 new cases and one death. Since the start of the year, Thailand has recorded over 84,000 infections and 24 deaths. Officials attribute the rise to seasonal factors and increased social interaction during holidays and the school term.

Related: Exco: Covid-19 cases in Selangor under control 

The Department of Disease Control identified the highest infection rates among children under five, followed by adults in their 30s and 20s. The one reported death involved a person over 60. With the rainy season and school openings underway, Thai authorities remain on alert for further spread.

Roshel Jayasundera of Axios International, anInternational firm who is focusing on the emerging market including Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America and Middle East, discussed current healthcare trends in Thailand and Southeast Asia, as well as how Thailand is recovering from the Covid-19 outbreak, in this article.

How do you asses the current state of healthcare access in Thailand? What can be done to improve the situation so that a larger part of the population has consistent access to healthcare services?

The Thai government has always been committed to building an effective healthcare ecosystem in the country, and the Universal Healthcare Coverage (UHC) is a case in point. This system grants every citizen access to essential healthcare services in preventive, curative and palliative care, and has been ranked sixth on the Global Health Security Index.

The UHC has delivered remarkable results over the past decade, but it has limitations when it comes to funding lifelong medication for chronic diseases that are on a constant rise along with ageing population within Thailand.

The UHC or the government alone cannot effectively tackle all healthcare challenges, and there’s a need for both public and private sectors to collaborate in order to deliver sustainable healthcare access to the Thai population. These partnerships need to ensure that citizens do not have to pay for their medical expenses singularly, and the cost is split across different healthcare stakeholders so that healthcare access can be made affordable and sustainable in the long run.

Thailand has been grappling with high healthcare demands caused by an ageing population and a rapid growth in chronic diseases within the country’s population. How can Thailand’s healthcare system evolve to effectively cater to these needs over the entire patient journey?

An increasing rate of chronic diseases and ageing population require lifelong treatments to be made available and affordable to patients. Not only do these patients need financial support, but they also need educational and emotional support to adhere to treatment programs that typically run over a long time.

As I shared before, public-private collaborations are a key to addressing these healthcare challenges. These partnerships will ensure that people don’t have to go beyond their means to fund their treatment plans, and we also need to put proper measures in place so that treatment compliance can be achieved too.

Going forward, Thailand needs to strengthen its healthcare system in a way that both access and adherence are emphasized, which is the only way to empower people with sustainable healthcare access.

Thailand is working towards building a 5-G powered health information system for efficient healthcare delivery. What are your views about it?

5-G powered health information system is definitely an important element towards building an effective and efficient healthcare ecosystem. It will allow Thailand to leverage available data and technology to support an overburdened healthcare infrastructure, especially in rural areas. This initiative has facilitated virtual doctor visits and medicine delivery during the pandemic through a project led by the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH)across 27 hospitals in the country¹.

Read Also: Medical Fair Thailand postponed to 2022 due to pandemic

The digital tools are highly versatile – they help build a connected healthcare ecosystem, ensuring efficient exchange of information between patients and different healthcare stakeholders leading to optimum results. Digitisation can streamline operations and optimise resources, enabling health facilities to improve their capacity and better support patients.

While digital technology is certainly necessary for better healthcare delivery, it is important to note that it is largely an enabler, and not a solution in itself. Our focus should always be to build a patient centric healthcare model and digital healthcare should be used as one of the ways to reach out to patients and fulfil their treatment requirements.

COVID-19 has had an economic impact all across the world, and healthcare systems are visibly under strain in order to vaccinate the public. What might a good vaccine rollout plan look like?

It is vital to ensure global access to vaccines in order to curb the spread of diseases. In terms of our organization, we believe that there are three critical components, or 3As, that must be met in order to secure mass vaccination: availability, accessibility, and acceptability.

Availability simply means having sufficient vaccine doses for all or making sure that all countries can purchase and receive the vaccines they need for their population. It is the most critical part, but availability alone will not solve the issue.

Accessibility is about getting shots into arms. It wouldn’t be of any help if the vaccines are available but not administered.

Acceptability is about people’s knowledge and understanding of the importance and benefits of the vaccines.

Once the availability issue has been resolved, it is important that vaccine accessibility and acceptability are also addressed. Every country needs to put in place complementary proactive mechanisms to reach people wherever they are. This doesn’t necessarily mean creating new systems or channels. The solution should integrate with and build upon the existing systems in order to provide a holistic view and take into consideration the needs of the different target groups. Private sector, general practitioners, and community resources should collaborate fairly, efficiently, and transparently to link the entire continuum which leads to a common goal, the herd immunity.

Communication is another important element to success. Countries need to start engaging people through mass communications tools such as social media and in-person community outreach. They need to utilize a combination of different mechanisms, not just one. These tools can also be used to combat vaccine hesitancy and address any knowledge gaps through trusted networks that already exist.

What will be the key healthcare access trends for Thailand and Southeast Asia going forward?

The healthcare access landscape has evolved significantly over the last decade, and with the ongoing pandemic and increasing patient needs, we see the following trends to be in focus going forward:

• Access goes beyond affordability – Access is a multi-faceted concept that needs to include treatment access as well as adherence solutions to ensure optimum health outcomes. A 2020 case study² relating to Type 2 diabetes conducted in Chiang Mai revealed that whilst the UHC offered adequate medical management, less than half of patients achieved optimal control³. This is paving the way for a shift in healthcare management and healthcare ecosystems need to adopt a more comprehensive view on access that includes affordability, treatment education, family and community support for optimum outcomes.

• Access is being viewed as a long-term solution rather than a short-term strategy – Out-of-pocket payments and government reimbursements are not sustainable ways of managing healthcare costs for a country’s population. There’s a need for alternative access solutions such as patient assistance or support programs so that costs can be shared across different healthcare stakeholders, and patients can be empowered with sustainable healthcare access.

• Healthcare stakeholders need to reach patients outside hospital settings – The ongoing pandemic has highlighted that restricting healthcare within health facilities is an ineffective way of looking after patients. The ability to connect with patients consistently, irrespective of where they are, will be crucial going forward. And Thailand, with its digital technology is already taking sound steps for effective healthcare management. The Pattani Model⁴ that was developed following the onset of COVID-19 pandemic is an insightful model that helps manage patients optimally through various interventions including remote consultation and medicine delivery.

• Private sector is considering new creative ways to engage with the government on access- Healthcare access is a complex subject that requires a multi-dimensional and multi-sectoral approach. Private and public sectors need to collaborate so that the synergistic strength can deliver long-term healthcare benefits for the population. For example, Thailand’s Department of Consular Affairs teamed up with a MedTech startup⁵ during the pandemic to provide consultations for Thais living overseas – connecting them with specialist doctors, pharmacies, hospitals, insurance services, and other medical services. Leveraging digital technology, this initiative shows how collaborations can elevate healthcare access for people.

• Data is becoming more important to inform access decision-making -Healthcare access solutions can be designed better if the data resulting from access programs can be effectively captured and analysed. This data can provide breakthrough insights on the disease evolution, treatment, patients’ perceptions, outcomes and cost.

Additionally, for the above-mentioned challenges, my organisation’s response include using the Patient Financial Eligibility Tool (PFET), a unique tool that helps us assess the real financial capability of a patient and allows us to devise effective cost sharing programs that help facilitate long term treatment for our patients.

We conduct a needs assessment with each patient using Patient Needs Assessment Tool (PNAT), to better understand their unmet needs across the 5 dimensions of adherence: social and economic, therapy related, patient related, healthcare team and system, and condition related dimensions.  We’ve also created a suite of innovative digital technologies that enable physicians to refer patients to access programs and check their progress remotely, as well as pharmacists to track product supply, even when they’re not in a hospital setting.

Sources:

¹https://www.lexology.com/library/detail.aspx?g=a425ef17-8960-4b05-a2ef-460660c307c1

²https://bmcfampract.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12875-020-01233-7

³Ibid

⁴https://www.who.int/thailand/news/feature-stories/detail/thailand-launches-new-normal-healthcare-system-to-build-back-better-after-covid-19

⁵https://www.reuters.com/article/sponsored/thailands-medical-sector-resilient-in-the-face-of-the-pandemic