Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesu, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), recently sent a letter to Thai Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul to thank him for championing the Universal Health and Preparedness Review (UHPR).
The letter also informed Minister Anutin that Thailand has been instrumental as one of the first countries in the world to pilot the UHPR initiative for public health emergencies and its handling of the COVID-19 crisis.
The WHO chief highlighted many of Thailand’s critical assets that were keys to safeguarding and assisting its population and residents during the pandemic. These included enacting decisive national policies, maintaining an effective public healthcare and health insurance system with a dedicated workforce, innovative approaches to advancing health, and promoting multisectoral coordination between the government, private sector, and civil society.
Dr. Tedros noted that WHO members were particularly responsive to the presentation of Thailand’s performance to the World Health Assembly (WHA) in May 2022. Thailand is now cited as a guideline model for WHO members to follow in preparation for emerging diseases.
The WHO is currently updating its technical package based on information obtained via the UHPR initiative, with the WHO Technical Advisory Group to produce recommendations for improving and simplifying its working methods. (NNT)
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