Closing the Health Gaps for the Elderly:
Promoting Health Equity and Social Inclusion in Thailand

This discussion is sponsored by the Population and Development Global Solutions Group of the Health, Nutrition, and Population Global Practice. Lead discussant is MICHELE GRAGNOLATI, Lead Specialist, Global Solution Leader, Population & Development GSG, Health, Nutrition and Population Global Practice and chaired by OLUSOJI ADEYI, Director, Health, Nutrition and Population Global Practice

Date & Venue: Wednesday, February 17, 2016 from 12:00-1:30 pm
World Bank  7th Floor (Room G7-011) 1776 G street NW, Washington DC

Attend the Discussion Session: If you are interested to join in the discussion, please provide in advance your full names at sosornprasop@worldank.org for pre-registration process. Please bring along with you your identification card on participation day as required by the World Bank. For further information contact: sosornprasop@worldank.org

Synopsis : Thailand has succeeded in expanding coverage of publicly-funded and publicly-managed health insurance schemes, following the introduction of universal health coverage policy in 2001. Today, 100% of Thai citizens are statistically covered by one of the publicly-managed health insurance schemes, mainly the Universal Health Coverage scheme (UC), Social Security Scheme (SSS), Civil Servant Medical Benefits Scheme (CSMBS), and medical benefits for state enterprise employees. These arrangements have broadened access to health services, contributed to higher and more equitable patterns of utilization, and helped reduce the financial burden and risk of impoverishment associated with health care expenses.

While Thailand’s achievement of universal health coverage is well noted, Sutayut will share the latest findings that there are still gaps in health utilization and financial protection, particularly among the growing elderly population in Thailand, particularly the poor elderly and those who do not live with their adult children, and recommend options to address these gaps.

About the Speaker : Sutayut Osornprasop (Tam) is a Human Development Specialist, based at the World Bank office in Bangkok. A social scientist by training, Tam is the champion of multi-sectoral and social determinants of health. He is widely known for his leadership in promoting HIV prevention and harm reduction among key affected populations, through projects and analytical work in the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. Tam also leads the Bank’s support to the Lao PDR Government to address nutrition challenges multi-sectorally. His leadership and contribution to the post-disaster damage and losses assessment of the health sector following Thailand’s devastating floods in 2011 is well-recognized. He also contributed to the damage and losses assessment of the health sector following Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar in 2008. He has worked on health financing and contributed to public expenditure review of the health sector in Thailand and Myanmar. He has also contributed to the efforts to support Palestine on the Universal Health Coverage agenda.