Health promotion, Thailand’s way

Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day, observed annually on Dec. 12, serves as a global reminder to champion health for all. UHC aims to ensure that all individuals and communities receive the health services they need, whenever and wherever they are needed, without suffering financial hardship.

While Republic Act No. 11223, or the Universal Health Care Act, encompasses a wide range of health services—from preventive to palliative care—it is crucial to recognize health promotion as a fundamental component to sustain this.

Health promotion, a strategy that prevents illness and addresses underlying social factors that make people sick, remains underutilized. Beyond improving health literacy and individual behavior through awareness and communication, it involves crafting and implementing policies and programs that promote healthy practices and discourage harmful ones. For instance, taxes on unhealthy products like tobacco and alcohol have been proven effective in reducing consumption and preventing related health issues.

Last November, the Health Promotion Program at the University of the Philippines National Institutes of Health (NIH), alongside representatives from nine other Asian countries, was invited by the ThaiHealth Foundation to join a conference showcasing Thailand’s transformative journey toward sustainable health as underpinned by robust health promotion interventions. Thailand’s model demonstrates that UHC and health promotion require a multisectoral approach involving government, the private sector, and civil society.

At the heart of Thailand’s strategy are community-centric initiatives that tailor health promotion activities to local needs and contexts. More importantly, Thailand’s globally recognized success is rooted in evidence-informed policies and programs that rely on research to answer critical issues on the best approach, effectivity, and possible improvements needed.

Thailand’s commitment to using research to determine effective strategies, evaluate outcomes, and refine approaches for maximum impact is a key lesson. By focusing on root causes rather than symptoms, Thailand has shown the power of data-driven solutions.

In the Philippines, the UHC law has increased recognition of health promotion as a vital public health intervention. This is evident in expanded health promotion activities and investments at national and local levels guided by the Department of Health’s Health Promotion Framework Strategy. However, challenges persist in the health promotion ecosystem, including limited resources, fragmented efforts, and weak integration with broader public policies.

The Philippines can learn from Thailand’s best practices in leveraging health promotion and disease prevention as foundational elements of UHC. Similar to Thailand, the DOH in collaboration with UP NIH, has established the Health Promotion Program to strengthen the generation of evidence.

A key consideration for the future is fostering stronger collaboration among stakeholders to implement health-in-all policies. The Philippines can draw inspiration from ThaiHealth Foundation’s role in guiding the government, the private sector, and communities toward health promotion goals driven by rigorous local evidence.

Health doesn’t begin in a health clinic; it starts where people live, work, and play. While the tools are at our disposal, strong government and societal support are essential to turn them into action.

Thailand’s model offers valuable insights on integrating health promotion into the UHC framework and emphasizing evidence-based decision-making. By adapting these strategies to the local context, the Philippines can significantly advance toward UHC goals. It’s time to prioritize health promotion as a core pillar of our health system, and not merely a supplementary strategy.

(Disclaimer: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of UP-NIH).

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Dr. Katherine Ann V. Reyes is program lead, while Reiner Lorenzo J. Tamayo is Senior Associate for Policy and Community Engagement in the Health Promotion Program at the Institute of Clinical Epidemiology, National Institutes of Health, University of the Philippines-Manila.