Thailand’s lessons for India's healthcare system

 16-Nov-16, Live Mint 

Since the 1960s, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries have learnt from each other on macroeconomics, trade and social policies. India could well be on its way to join the OECD eventually and is no doubt learning from these countries already. But in health, there is a closer neighbour - Thailand - with some success stories worth examining.

Image: AFP

Thailand’s demographic and economic similarity to India makes this sort of comparison relevant. However, outcomes vary widely: In Thailand, the under 5 years’ age mortality is 12.3 per 1,000 live births; maternal mortality, 20 per 100,000 live births. By contrast, the numbers in India are higher by multiples: 47.7 and 174.

Thailand has leveraged technology extensively. Its national civil registration database forms the backbone of all health schemes in the country, ensuring that a beneficiary cannot enrol in two schemes at the same time—something India could well learn from as Aadhaar becomes pervasive and as we approach the launch of the National Health Protection Scheme (NHPS). The Thai universal coverage authority’s IT management has been pivotal in the development of Thailand’s health systems.

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