The Ministry of Public Health has been implementing a five-year plan to develop Thai traditional and alternative medicine, aimed at bringing about health security, increasing the value of Thailand’s economy, and promoting Thai wisdom and wellness tourism.

Deputy Secretary-General to the Prime Minister for Political Affairs and Acting Government Spokesperson Anucha Burapachaisri said that Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha had acknowledged the Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine Development Plan, 2023-2027, which uses Thailand’s strength and potential in traditional medicine for producing herbal medicine.

Major objectives are 1) to develop the health service plan for people suffering chronic pain and insomnia and to reduce drug addition, 2) to enable hospitals and factories that produce herbal medicine to meet good manufacturing practice (GMP) standards (among 61 hospitals currently producing herbal medicine, 45 have already passed the GMP standards), and 3) to develop “Thainess wellness centers” in order to attract both Thai and foreign tourists. A total of 160 Thai wellness centers, out of 570, have so far been certified, with seven being developed to the accepted standards.

The Ministry of Public Health expects that, under the five-year plan, the number of people using herbal medicine will increase from 1.48 percent to 15 percent of the total population, while the number of people seeking traditional and alternative medical treatment will also increase from 4.5 percent to 20 percent. Moreover, the consumption of herbs in the country is expected to increase to the value of 90 billion baht annually by 2027.

Thailand has great opportunities to develop itself as a major center for herbal products in the world. It has sufficient amounts of high-quality raw materials to satisfy the production demand at the industrial level. Many Thai herbal plants have been developed to higher standards and integrated into primary health care.

The Government has a policy to develop Thai herbal plants in a systematic manner and on a sustainable basis, so that Thai herbs would be applied with greater efficiency.