Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra highlighted Thailand’s success in implementing the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) program and the use of digital technology to improve health services across the country.

The Prime Minister delivered a keynote address on the topic “Ageing, Pandemics, and the Path to Innovation” at the APEC CEO Summit 2024 on 15 November 2024 at the Grand National Theater in Lima, Peru.

Also known as the gold card or 30-baht scheme, Thailand’s UHC program has been implemented since 2002, aimed at providing all Thai citizens with essential preventive and curative health services at all life stages.

The program has been upgraded from “30-baht Treatment of All Diseases” to “30-baht Treatment Anywhere,” which allows for Thais to easily access care at facilities beyond their designated providers and reduce indirect costs to healthcare.  

The Prime Minister stated that Thailand had adopted the telemedicine system that provided people with easier access to healthcare consulting services from doctors anywhere in Thailand. The Government has also created health-link with more than 500 hospitals nationwide for information exchange and greater efficiency in providing healthcare services. 

Prime Minister Paetongtarn also reaffirmed Thailand's readiness to be a regional and global medical hub through partnership with the private sector in Thailand’s Care and Wellness Economy. Thailand has taken a leading role in promoting the health agenda in APEC since its hosting of APEC in 2003, when the Health Task Force was established in response to SARS. This mechanism has since developed into the Health Working Group under the APEC workstream. 

According to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the annual APEC CEO Summit has been the premier business event in the Asia-Pacific region for over 30 years. This year’s summit was organized under the theme “People, Business, Prosperity,” and was attended by over 1,000 executives across the Asia-Pacific region. Other APEC leaders invited to speak at the forum were from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Indonesia, Viet Nam, Malaysia, and the Republic of Korea.