Health Services

The Seventh National Economic and Social Development Plan
 (1992-1996). Part IV, Chapter 1, p.160-163.

Date:     1992-1996

Source:     Office of the Prime Minister, National Economic and Social Development Board, Bangkok, Thailand

Subject:      health services, preventive health, health education, primary health care, public health services, standard of living, public health programmes

3.4.1   Promote good health for all the population and encourage the general ability to take basic care of one’s health, including preventive health education. The quality and availability of primary health care in rural areas will have to be further improved, together with expansion of primary health care in urban areas. The following measures are proposed.

1. Encourage diversity in the pattern and form of people’s participation in public health services to promote closer consistency with differing needs in different localities.
   
   

2. Support greater participation by people decision making in health care, to determine level of requirements, and mode of operation, in the management of resources mobilized from local communities and elsewhere, together with reorientation of people’s behavior to take better care of their health for example, refraining from smoking and drinking.
   
   

3. Develop knowledge base in traditional curative health care, such as traditional Thai medical care, herbal medicine, massage, in coordination with modern health care services.
   
   

4. Set up a central agency to coordinate urban health care services to ensure more effective operations.
   
   

5. Amend relevant laws, rules, regulations, and restrictions to encourage decentralization of power to municipalities in order to enable them to efficiently solve local public health

3.4.2   Develop health service stations at all levels to be capable of providing quality services efficiently by implementing the following measure:

1. Allocate public health resources covering personnel at various levels, medical equipment and supplies in sufficient quantity to support expansion and improvement of quality and efficiency of health service stations at various levels in the regions, particularly at the level of health centers and community hospitals.
   
   

2. Allocate public health resources more widely, and mobilize cooperation from all parties including the public and private sectors for prevention of illness, and promotion of health, both physical and mental, as well as rehabilitative efforts. Emphasis will be on tackling some selective key diseases and illnesses which are preventable at their root causes, such as mental illness, cancer, heart disease, AIDS illness related to disabilities caused by accidents and disease, or illness caused by unsafe working conditions in the industrial and agricultural sectors.
   
   

3. Increase private sector role in provision of services, including health promotion, preventive health care, medical and nursing services, as well as participate in development of public health personnel in areas facing shortages and requiring high investment.
   
   

4. Develop referral system of patients among public health centers, and between public and private institutions to increase efficiency in the provision of services, and reduce congestion in large urban hospitals.
   
   

5. Set up a system to regulate import of foreign technologies, while ensuring appropriate dispersion of these technologies in all areas, as well as develop local technology emphasizing maximum self-reliance.

3.4.3   Develop and expand basic public health care services to cater to the needs of the new economic zones, particularly in the Eastern Seaboard based on the following measures:

1. Classify land into zones and set targets and guidelines for development of public health sector according to specific requirements of each zone, emphasizing preventive measures and solution of occupational health problems, which are likely to become more serious during the Seventh Plan period.
   
   

2. Encourage the private sector to set up medical care centers in large cities and in the new economic zones, with the government to expand and improve public health services in the remaining needy areas.

3.4.4   Develop the existing health insurance system, such as voluntary health insurance, and subsidized health services for low-income groups to be in harmony and consistent with the Social Security Act.

3.4.5   Speed up implementation of public health programs for the prevention, control, and solution of health problems related to people’s occupations, to the polluted environment and to safety in consumption, via the following:

1. Coordinate planning for activities under the jurisdiction of various agencies, such as environmental control, consumption safety, and occupational safety, etc.
   
   

2. Set up a new organization, or make use of existing ones, such as the Joint Public and Private Sector Consultative Committee for Public Health Development, to promote effective and sustained public and private sector cooperation.
   
   

3. Amend laws, rules and regulations to ensure efficient enforcement, and to promote development of quality of life of the people.
   
   

4. Encourage people and communities to have a role in prevention and solution of problems, through the dissemination of useful news and information.
   
   

5. Regulate quality of food considered to be people’s staple diets, such as fish sauce, mackerel ("pla-too"), salted fish, vegetables, etc.

3.4.6   Continue campaign and programs for the prevention and control of AIDS by undertaking the following:

1. Mobilize cooperation from both the public and private sectors in education the people about prevention and control of the disease, and to have correct understanding of working and socializing with AIDS patients without having negative attitudes and reactions.
   
   

2. Provide medical and social services to AIDS patients to enable them to lead a normal life without spreading the disease to other people.
   
   

3. Continue programs aimed at reducing the number of prostitutes and provide sex education appropriate to each age group.
   
   

4. Promote education and research activities on AIDS.

3.4.7   Promote a better standard of of living among the people to encourage them to have sanitary housing conditions, to consume hygienic and nutritious food, and clean water, and to have regular physical exercise for health and relaxation, via the following:

1. Accelerate implementation of programs in nutrition, environ-mental sanitation, and provision of potable water, in continuation from the Sixth Plan, particularly in rural areas.
   
   

2. Adjust fluoride content in potable water to prevent tooth decay and fluorosis, and regulate side effects arising from too much or too little fluoride.
   
   

3. Support public relations campaigns to educate the people about consumption of food with appropriate nutritional value, as well as promote production and wide distribution of food to ensure adequate supply for consumption.
   
   

4. Develop existing information system for food and nutrition surveillance so that the information may be used for formulation of policies and guidelines for effective implementation of development activities.
   
   

5. Prevent and solve problems of obesity in urban children and youth, by emphasizing nutrition education and physical exercise.
   
   

6. Encourage organization of sport and recreational activities, as well as physical exercise, and greater provision of public parks in Bangkok Metropolis and the regions.