Health Promotion and Education in Thailand in Comparison with the Japanese Health Care System and Health Informatics

The 6th Global Conference on Health Promotion held in Bangkok in 2005 proposed the following three points as key issues of health promotion in Thailand: (1) make the promotion of health a core responsibility for all government departments, (2) make the promotion of health a requirement for good corporate practice, and (3) make the promotion of health a key focus of communities and civil society. The 7th Global Conference on Health Promotion, held in Kenya in October 2009, reflected the following five sectors for current health promotion in Thailand: (1) community empowerment, (2) health literacy and health behavior, (3) strengthening health systems, (4) partnerships and intersectoral action, and (5) building capacity. As indicated in the Nurses of the Community Project in Thailand, six essential systems were identified to increase involvement and build ownership of the Nurses of the Community program (NOC). Key success, including (1) strong and active memorandum of understanding among key actors at the implementing level, (2) guidelines and strategies to make every system practical, (3) the systems of NOC require intricate designs supported by long-term community-based research and development, and (4) options for policy development at both national and local levels, is vital for NOC retention. In Thailand, the widespread growing interest in strengthening local community infrastructures, institutions, networks, and capacities reflects at least four influencing strategies, which sustain community strength in the country. Based on the Japanese experience, it is expected that these policies and programs will develop in the future into the integrated approach of primary care (by the nurse practitioner), health promotion, national health insurance, and care insurance.