Dr. Phusit Prakongsai of MOPH Thailand to grace the Healthcare Asia Forum

He will discuss the impact of UHC policy and health technology assessment in Thailand.

Dr. Phusit Prakongsai is the senior advisor on health promotion for the Office of Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Public Health of Thailand, where he served as the director of the Bureau of International Health (BIH) and the International Health Policy Programme (IHPP) between October 2010 and December 2017. Prior to joining IHPP, he had 10 years of field experience in public health and health care management in three district hospitals in the rural area of Thailand from 1988 to 1998.

He has been a principal investigator and co-investigator of several research projects related to health system and policy, health insurance, universal health coverage, and health care finance with since 1999.

Dr. Prakongsai earned a Ph.D. degree in public health and policy from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), in 2008, and the Medical Doctor degree from Mahidol University in 1988.

In an interview with Healthcare Asia, Dr. Prakongsai shares his local knowledge and expertise in the healthcare arena.

What were the previous experiences and positions you've held that contributed to who you are as an expert today?

After graduating from Siriraj Medical School, Mahidol University, in 1988, I served as a medical doctor and hospital director of three community hospitals in rural areas of Thailand for more than 10 years from 1988 to 1998. After that, I moved to a research institute, the International Health Policy Programme (IHPP) in the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH), and served as the principal investigator of several research projects related to health system and policy research, public health insurance, universal health coverage, and health care financing. In 2002, I received the WHO long-term fellowship to pursue Ph.D. studies at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM). After my graduation from LSHTM, I was appointed to be the director of the IHPP from October 2010 to December 2014 and served as the director of the Bureau of International Health (BIH) from October 2014 to June 2017. Since then, I have been the Senior Advisor on Health Promotion, Office of Permanent Secretary, MOPH.

What are your key business philosophies?

Generating evidence to inform policymaking decisions and improve health systems through health system and policy research

Can you give us a glimpse of what you will share at the Healthcare Asia Forum?

I plan to share Thailand's experience in implementing the policy on UHC in 2002 and its impact on improving health equity and financial risk protection of Thai households from expensive medical care costs. In addition, using close-ended payment methods to pay healthcare providers and strengthening the country's capacity in health technology assessment (HTA) would be shared to the audience.

The 2019 Healthcare Asia Forum - Roadshow Series will take place on 3, 7 and 17 May in Manila, Jakarta and Bangkok. To learn more about the event, click here. To register, click here. For inquiries, you may contact Andrea at [email protected] or at +65 3158 1386 ext 212.