Achieving universal health coverage goals in Thailand: the vital role of strategic purchasing.

Strategic purchasing is one of the key policy instruments to achieve the universal health coverage (UHC) goals of improved and equitable access and financial risk protection. Given favourable outcomes of Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS), this study synthesized strategic purchasing experiences in the National Health Security Office (NHSO) responsible for the UCS in contributing to achieving UHC goals. The UCS applied the purchaser-provider split concept where NHSO, as a purchaser, is in a good position to enforce accountability by public and private providers to the UCS beneficiaries, through active purchasing.

Sustaining a regional emerging infectious disease research network: a trust-based approach.

The Asia Partnership on Emerging Infectious Diseases Research (APEIR) was initiated in 2006 to promote regional collaboration in avian influenza research. In 2009, the partnership expanded its scope to include all emerging infectious diseases. APEIR partners include public health and animal researchers, officials and practitioners from Cambodia, China, Lao PDR, Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam.

A decade of health-care decentralization in Thailand: what lessons can be drawn?

This paper reviews the progress of implementation of health-care decentralization in Thailand since the promulgation of the Decentralization Act 1999, draws lessons learnt and provides recommendations. This review was carried out because of the delay in health-care decentralization, as compared with what was indicated in the Decentralization Action Plan, and to identify the possible causes of delay. The review also analyses other issues that affected implementation of this policy such as consensus on models of health-care decentralization, and other government policies being implemented during the same period.

Using health technology assessment for informing coverage decisions in Thailand.

This article aims to illustrate and critically analyze the results from the 1-year experience of using health technology assessment (HTA) in the development of the Thai Universal Coverage health benefit package. We review the relevant documents and give a descriptive analysis of outcomes resulting from the development process in 2009-2010. Out of 30 topics nominated by stakeholders for prioritization, 12 were selected for further assessment.

Cost analysis of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation in adult patients with acute myeloid leukemia at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital.

The purpose of the study was to analyze the first-year cost ofhematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) program for the treatment of adult patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital (KCMH). The present retrospective study was carried out on 67 AML patients treated with bone marrow transplantation (BMT) or peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (PBSCT) at KCMH during the period of 1994 to 2005. The actual total one-year cost from the provider perspective were determined by the reviewing medical records for medical care costs (MCCs) and by adjusting data from the reports of annual cost analysis of KCMH for routine services costs (RSCs).