Achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and gaining experience in the design and systems adjustment for the last decade, Thailand is one of the key examples of successful UHC implementation for other countries, or groups of study, to visit and study. Recently, there have been a number of countries who have come to visit Thailand to learn how UHC was put onto the national health agenda, and how t
he system operates and is evaluated, as well as the outcome of such evaluations. For example, in the 2010 fiscal year, there were 16 groups of study visits requested by institutes outside Thailand and accommodated by NHSO and other partners in the field; in particular, HSRI, HISRO, CHEM, CHI, IHPP, and HITAP. These include members of parliament, scholars, international and bilateral development partners, country partners, ministers, and master and PhD students. Our experience led us to conclude that, unplanned and reactive responses to ad-hoc requests by countries in and outside the region are burdensome to all concerned partners. The outcome of such reactive responses are unclear, but would likely be poor, as host partners did not screen the CV of delegations to effectively target key players involved in the health financing reform. Furthermore, the visitors from abroad were not responsible for taking concrete actions based upon their visit to the Thai health system upon returning home. At times, there are two or more study visits to NHSO at one period, and distracting the primary mandates of NHSO and other partners. In the light of global and national movement towards UHC, we foresee a huge influx of requests for study visits on UHC to Thailand. Having learned from previous experience, the Thai partners must focus its limited financial, human, and time resources to concentrate on the most promising study visit teams, who can contribute to the reform upon returning to their home institutes. Thai partners have created CAP UHC Program to manage training activities including workshops, technical support at the country level and staff exchange. Objectives (3):
Institutionalize a unit in the International Health Policy Program (IHPP) to be the center for south-south technical collaboration on UHC. Plan and convene activities on south-south technical collaboration on UHC aiming at building up sustainable capacity in developing countries, in all essential areas of UHC including the resource mobilization, provider payment, use of IT, governance, and health systems reform based on UHC. These activities include active arrangement, of well prepared managed workshops, field visits, internship, apprenticeship, as well as possible technical assistance services. International resource persons will also be mobilized to support these activities. Support development of sustainable technical capacity in other developing countries that are moving on achieving UHC.
