ISLAMABAD, FEB 18 /DNA/ – Rongvudhi Virabutr, Ambassador of Thailand to Pakistan, paid a courtesy call on H.E. Mr. Syed Mustafa Kamal, Federal Minister of Health, to discuss the establishment of strategic cooperation on health issues through bilateral exchange of knowledge for sustainability while promoting Thailand as a world class medical centre for Pakistani people.
The two sides agreed to expand their scope of cooperation in various areas; in particular, the systemic promotion of UHC in Pakistan through the Thai model in order to reduce out-of-pocket spending on medical expense as much as possible from the usual average of 53%.
This would entail the promotion of preventative health measures to reduce in-patients in hospitals and wider access to primary health care through village health volunteers or other community-based approaches.
The Federal Minister commended the achievement of the Thai UHC model and has expressed interest to apply it to Pakistan so that Pakistan’s public health system would be stronger and more equitable in the long run as UHC and promotion of preventative measures are already the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination’s main objectives.
They also discussed Thailand as a medical tourism destination for Pakistanis in which the Ambassador reiterated that medical services in Thai medical facilities, with modern technology and expert medical professionals, are of world class standard while remaining affordable and accessible for Pakistanis’ demand for sophisticated and high-quality treatments.
This meeting is an important step towards establishing a firm health partnership between the two countries.
