Office of the Decentralization to the Local Government Organization Committee of the Prime Minister's Office has announced that the UN had awarded Khaoprangam Municipality the 2nd Prize in Innovation and Excellence in Delivering Health Services of the United Nations Public Service Awards (UNPSA) 2017. The Municipality’s innovative project called “Excellent Happy Home Ward” helps improve the quality of life of bed-bound patients and ageing members in the community by combining aspects of accommodation, healthcare, area-based management and technologies, in line with SDG 3 (good health and well-being). Mr. Jirachai Moontongroy, Permanent Secretary of the Prime Minister’s Office, attended the Award Ceremony on 22 – 23 June 2017 at the World Forum Conference Centre, the Hague, the Netherlands, accompanied by delegates from the Office of the Public Sector Development Commission and the Khaoprangam Municipality.

The United Nations Public Service Awards (UNPSA) are attributed to public bodies of the Member States on UN Public Service Day, which is celebrated on 23 June of every year. The events are organized by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) on an annual basis in order to raise awareness of the value of public services in the community, stress the roles of public services in order to promote community development, recognize the dedication of the public officers, and encourage more young people to start their career in the public sector.

In 2012, Thailand’s Royal Irrigation Department, through its “Integrated Drought Prevention and Mitigation : The Mae Yom Operation and Maintenance Office”, was declared the winner in the category “Fostering Participation in Policy-making Decisions through Innovative Mechanisms”. Moreover, in the same year, Rajavithi Hospital won the Second Prize in the category “Advancing Knowledge Management in Government” thanks to its “Preventing Diabetic Blindness” programme.