Geneva: "Phatthana" led the Thai Ministry of Public Health team to the 79th World Health Assembly (WHA79), presenting their vision for driving the healthcare system with digital and AI, and showcasing three key innovations with proven results.
According to Thai News Agency, the Minister of Public Health led the Thai delegation to the 79th World Health Assembly, holding discussions with health ministers from five countries. The Minister presented a vision for driving the health system forward using digital technology and AI, emphasizing its use as tools to solve public problems, reduce workload and costs, and improve the quality of services for all age groups. Three key innovations demonstrating tangible results were presented: the Thailand Health Map, the "Ready Doctors" program, and AI in medicine.
Mr. Pattana Promphat, Minister of Public Health, revealed that he, along with Dr. Somruk Chungsaman, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Health, led a team of Ministry of Public Health executives as the Thai delegation to the 79th World Health Assembly and other related activities from May 18-23, 2026, in Geneva, Switzerland. On May 18, 2026, the delegation held bilateral discussions with the health ministers of five countries: India, Russia, Somalia, Chile, Norway, and China. They also participated in a parallel event, 'Driving the Future of Health Systems for Equity and Access in the Digital Age - From Vision to Action,' presenting Thailand's vision and operational guidelines for digital health. The vision emphasizes that digital and smart technologies are no longer merely supporting tools for the health system, but have become essential infrastructure to ensure interconnected, continuous, comprehensive, and people-centered healthcare services. This involves designing digital technologies, artific ial intelligence (AI), and data platforms as mechanisms to solve problems related to service quality, cost reduction, workload reduction, increased efficiency, and equitable access to healthcare for all population groups.
Mr. Pattan further stated that Thailand's approach involves using digital technology to connect the healthcare system at four levels: the public, communities, healthcare facilities, and the national data system. He shared three areas of experience and success: 1. The Thailand Health Atlas, a geospatial information platform supporting primary care and local health service planning. It provides visualizations of vulnerable populations at the household and community levels, enabling accurate allocation of resources to those most in need, including the elderly, bedridden patients, children aged 0-5, and patients with NCDs. This system was proven effective during the 2024 floods and is currently integrating PM2.5 air quality data to identify high-risk patients in areas with hazardous air quality. 2. The "Ready Doctor" system, with over 30 million users, enabling public access to healthcare services via smartphones. It manages personal health data according to cybersecurity standards and has transitioned patient re ferrals from paper-based to digital systems, used over 3 million times, reducing congestion, waiting times, and improving service efficiency. 3. AI innovation, building a high-quality data infrastructure. This includes a Medical Imaging Data Hub to support the screening and diagnosis of important diseases such as pulmonary tuberculosis and lung cancer. The development of an Internet of Medical Things (IoT) Data Hub will allow data from digital health devices, such as vital signs monitors, chronic disease tracking devices, and home health equipment, to connect to the healthcare system. This will help extend care from hospitals to homes, communities, and primary care units, making it more continuous and proactive.
'Digital innovations should function as problem-solving tools and move forward in conjunction with appropriate laws, governance, and standards. Thailand is pursuing three directions: 1) Innovation designed with regulatory and control mechanisms from the outset, including personal data protection, risk assessment, cybersecurity, data standards, auditability, transparency, and accountability for developers and service providers; 2) Scalable platform models, such as developing a national digital health platform that can connect various services across the healthcare system, making services more accessible to the public, reducing travel, minimizing data redundancy, increasing continuity of care, and supporting more efficient healthcare resource planning; and 3) Sustainable collaboration with all sectors, including the government, academia, the private sector, medical personnel, and the public,' Mr. Pattan said.