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2017 | OriginalPaper | Buchkapitel

4. The Politics of Health Care Reform in Thailand

verfasst von : Erik Martinez Kuhonta

Erschienen in: Towards Universal Health Care in Emerging Economies

Verlag: Palgrave Macmillan UK

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Abstract

The success of the universal health care programme in Thailand can be traced to two factors: a big bang approach to policy reform and prior institutional capacity in the form of reformist medical bureaucrats ensconced in the Ministry of Public Health. The big bang approach provided the requisite political power, while reformist bureaucrats provided evidence-based knowledge, past practical experience and institutional networks that were crucial for the forging of the universal health care programme. The combination of political power and bureaucratic capacity has thus led to a universal health care programme that has granted coverage to almost all Thai citizens.

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Vorheriges Kapitel Universalism and Health: The Battle of Ideas

Nächstes Kapitel The Impacts of Universalization: A Case Study on Thailand’s Social Protection and Universal Health Coverage

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Joseph Harris (2015) has termed the progressive bureaucrats’ role as a form of “developmental capture” in order to emphasize the unique action that these civil servants have played in pursuing the public interest. “Developmental” is usefully contrasted to “regulatory capture”, in which interest groups use a state agency for narrow, particularistic purposes.

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The main differences were that civil society’s bill would have been completely free, it would have merged all current government insurance systems, it would have applied to everyone including non-citizens; and would have ensured greater representation by civil society on the universal health care board (interview, Jon Ungpakhorn, 24 June 2009).

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Hill tribes peoples are also not included.

The co-payment was restored in 2012. The military most likely sought to undermine the programme’s identification with Thaksin while appearing to be even more pro-poor.

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Titel: The Politics of Health Care Reform in Thailand
verfasst von: Erik Martinez Kuhonta
Verlag: Palgrave Macmillan UK
Buch: Towards Universal Health Care in Emerging Economies
Print ISBN: 978-1-137-53376-0

Electronic ISBN: 978-1-137-53377-7

Copyright-Jahr: 2017
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-53377-7_4

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