5th National Health Assembly

National Health Assembly
18^th – 20^th December 2012
BITEC, Bangkok, Thailand

The Health Assembly is “a process in which the relevant public and State agencies exchange their knowledge and cordially learn from each other through a participatory and systematically organized forum, leading to recommendations on Healthy Public Policies or Public Healthiness.”

It is a social innovation of Thailand, established under the National Health Act 2007. It is one of the most important social mechanisms to support the participatory, constructive and peaceful reconciliation among all stakeholders towards consensus agreement on specific Healthy Public Policies.

According to the Act, the National Health Assembly (NHA) shall be organized at least once a year. The National Health Assembly Organizing Committee (NHAOC) comprising of government sector, academia and people sector has been established by the National Health Commission. At least 60 per cent of the NHAOC members come from non-state agencies. The rules and procedures for the National Health Assembly have been formulated by the NHAOC.

This year, the NHAOC has decided to convene the 5^th National Health Assembly (NHA2012) from 18^th – 20^th December 2012 at BITEC, Bangkok.

There are 55 policy issues submitted by 52 organizations/networks and were seconded by 218 organizations/networks to the NHAOC. The NHAOC considered the proposed policy issues by considering the following points

1. Importance of the issue
2. Magnitude of the problem
3. Public interest
4. Feasibility of the issue to drive into policy or action
5. Relevance to current situation of the health systems

Finally, the NHAOC had the 3/2555 resolution on 29th May 2012 finalizing the number and issues of the agenda items of NHA2012 NHA as follows.

NHA2012 has 9 agenda items* to be discussed this year.

1. Supportive system and structure for walking and cycling in daily living
2. The 24-hour management of enabling environment for children: A case of Thai children and IT
3. Monks and building well-being
4. Food safety: solving problems from agricultural chemicals
5. Reform of environmental and health impact assessment system
6. Prevention and mitigation of health impact from biomass power plant
7. Management of smoke hazes that affecting health
8. Transforming health professions’ education in response to the current situation of the country
9. Coping with health impact from entering ASEAN community: a case of food and agricultural products

13 Passed Resolutions will be reported the progress of its implementation.

1. Statute on National Health System
2. Promoting relationship between patients, relatives of patients and health professionals
3. Interventions for Non-Asbestos Society
4. Equity in Access to Health Care for People with Disabilities
5. Control of marketing for Infant and Child Nutrition
6. Policy on the Medical Hub
7. Policy on Self- Managing Area
8. Interventions for the Control of Tobacco as a Determinant of Health
9. Problem Solving in Teenage Pregnancy
10. The Management of Illegal Advertisement of Drugs and Health Products on Community Radio, Cable TV and Satellite TV
11. Management of Natural Disasters with Local Community as Centre
12. Sustainable Sub-Watershed Resources Management through Participatory Process of Network and Partners in All Sectors
13. Access to Occupational Health Services for Health and Safety of Workers in Industrial and Service Sectors

The resolutions or recommendations from the NHA will be submitted to the National Health Commission which will consider taking appropriate actions to achieve the recommendations, including, if necessary, submitting to the Cabinet. Thus it is a combination of using both ‘soft’ social power and power of ‘wisdom’ and the ‘hard’ authoritative power to formulate and implement ‘healthy public policies’.

Remark: The title, number and order of agenda items are subject to change.

Revision as of August 29, 2012