|
|
|
About WHO in Thailand
|
|
|
|
|
For over 60 years, the World Health Organization
(WHO) has contributed significantly to Thailand’s national health
development and capacity building particularly in the areas of communicable
disease control, primary health care, maternal and child health, and health
systems development.
During its time in Thailand,
WHO has worked to strengthen the planning capacity of the Ministry of Public
Health (MoPH) in formulating Thailand's
national health development plans. WHO has supported innovative activities in
strengthening primary health care and health systems, whilecontributing toward
building institutional capacity in controlling communicable diseases and
strengthening reproductive, maternal, and child care. Over four decades WHO has contributed to
the development of successful programmes in Thailand including immunization,
provision of essential drugs, and malaria control.
|
|
|
|
In recent years, WHO has
made a broad range of contributions, among them helping to eliminate iodine
deficiency disorders, plan and implement the control of HIV/AIDS, the DOTS
Tuberculosis Strategy, strengthen the Field Epidemiology Training Programme,
as well as the Asian Collaborative Training Network for Malaria (ACT
Malaria). WHO also collaborated with Thailand
in the Healthy Cities Initiative, health systems reform, health promotion,
and addressing key risk factors for high-burden non-communicable diseases,
most notably tobacco control. WHO also provides
support to address the social determinants of health through established
processes such as the National Health Assembly and health impact assessments. In
addition, WHO has worked intensively and collaboratively with Thailand
in its preparedness and response to emerging infectious diseases and disasters.
In addition to the Ministry of Public Health, WHO
collaborates with the Emergency Medical Institute of Thailand, Hospital
Accreditation Institute, Health Systems Research Institute, National Health
Commission Office, National Health Security office, and Thai Health Promotion
Foundation.
The Office of WHO Representative to Thailand (i.e. WHO Country Office) has a
highly motivated professional and administrative team collaborating with the
Ministry of Public Health and relevant partners to facilitate Thailand’s
health development plan. This
collaboration is aligned with the overall objectives of WHO and its governing
bodies and is described as the ‘strategic agenda’ in the WHO Country Cooperation Strategy
for Thailand, 2012-2016. The strategic agenda comprises 4
clusters of activities as follows:
|
|
1.
Priority
programmes:
o
Community
health systems
o
Disaster
preparedness and response
o
International
trade and health
o
Multi-sectoral
networking for NCD control
o
Road
Safety
|
|
|
2.
Major
public health challenges and unfinished agendas
o
HIV
care, treatment and prevention (including harm reduction for injecting drug
users)
o
Tuberculosis
control
o
Malaria
elimination and control of artemisinin-resistant malaria
o
Preparedness
and response to emerging infectious diseases
o
Addressing
environmental health issues (including elimination of asbestos-related
disease)
o
Addressing
teenage pregnancy
o
Preventing unsafe abortion
|
|
|
3.
Thailand’s work in health beyond its borders
o
Training through WHO Fellowships,
training, and workshops
o
Consultancies to other Member States
o
Participation in international public
health networks
o
Serving on WHO advisory and expert
committees
o
Providing expert referral services
(e.g. laboratory services)
o
Contributing to the development and/or
expert review of WHO guidelines and training materials
|
|
|
4.
Normative
functions
o
Fulfilling
governing body resolutions
o
Capacity-building
o
Conducting
programme reviews
o
Knowledge
management
|
|
|
WHO Collaborating
Centres in Thailand
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
WHO
Collaborating Centres form part of an inter-institutional collaborative
network established by WHO in support of its programmes at the country,
inter-country, regional, interregional or global levels, as
appropriate. In line with the WHO policy and strategy of technical cooperation,
a WHO Collaborating Centre also participates in the strengthening of country
resources, in terms of information, services, research and training, in
support of national health development. WHO Collaborating Centres are
designated for an initial period of four years.
In 2012,
there are over 800 WHO Collaborating Centres in over 80 member states working
with WHO. Nearly 40
of these WHO Collaborating Centres can be found here in Thailand.
For an updated list of these centres, including areas of expertise and
contact information, please search on the WHO Collaborating Centre database at Click here
For more information on the Network for World Health
Organization Collaborating Centres and Centres of Expertises in Thailand (NEW-CCET) Click here
|
|
|
|
|
