On 2 February 2018 from 9:00 to12:00 hrs., the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Thailand (MFA) in collaboration with the National Health Security Office (NHSO) organized a conversation on “Achieving the Universal Health Coverage: From the past to the future” at Narathip Auditorium, MFA, to raise awareness on the importance of the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) system. On this occasion, H.E. Mr. Virasakdi Futrakul, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, delivered the opening remarks and H.E. Clinical Professor Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn, Minister of Public Health and Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of World Health Organization (WHO) delivered keynote addresses.

          This conversation intended to share views on the application of UHC and to discuss on its future directions. The experts from various organizations such as NHSO, World Bank Group, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), and International Organization for Migration (IOM) shared their views and experiences on the achievement of UHC. The event provided an opportunity to increase people’s understanding on UHC and the roles of relevant Thai agencies and international organizations. It also contributed towards the efforts to meet the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in relations to achieving the UHC by 2030 and to accelerate UHC implementation and build stronger health systems. 

          Dr. Ghebreyesus praised Thailand as a model for other countries on UHC, particularly sustainable UHC implementation based on strong political commitment and community ownership.  In addition, Mr. Tim Evans, Senior Director of Health, Nutrition and Population from the World Bank Group elaborated that Thailand is a good example of an upper middle income country proving that UHC is viable regardless of income level. The World Bank believes that investing in human capital is important and always yields rewarding outcomes.

          More than 170 participants from diplomatic and consular missions, Thai government agencies, international organizations, and civil society organizations joined the event.