According to the announcement of Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health, the World Health Organization (WHO) has praised Thailand for the successful implementation of cost-effective and high-impact or so-called “Best Buy” interventions in preventing and controlling noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), such as the banning of tobacco advertising, the elimination of trans fats, and the increase of taxes on sugar-containing beverages. The WHO has also affirmed its commitment to support the country in reducing premature mortality from NCDs by one third by 2030.

Regarding primary health care, the Ministry has improved people’s consumption behavior to avoid the risks of NCDs, thanks to a network of over one million community health volunteers, by educating them to count carbohydrates in their diet. At present, the volunteers have instructed over 16 million people around the country, accounting for 25.38% of the population. The Ministry aims to achieve 50 million people having knowledge about carb counting by 2025.

The statistics of NCD treatment in clinics have also shown that 5,638 patients, or 12.5%, out of 45,102 patients remained in remission, while 8,980 patients (19.9%) maintained the diseases and reduced their use of medicines. These achievements help reduce medicinal cost by over 43.4 million baht annually.