Thai public invited to help shape health policies.

For Dr Suwit Wibulpolprasert, chairman of the committee organizing Thailand’s first National Health Assembly (NHA), which took place from 11 to13 December 2008 in Bangkok, opening up the debate on public health is an essential part of developing effective national policy. “In the past, health policy has tended to be drawn up by politicians and officials,” Wibulpolprasert says. “But the National Health Assembly is a forum for the public to pool views and initiate health agendas that truly address people’s needs.” More than 1500 people attended the conference, the first of its kind to take place since the passing into law of the National Health Act of 2007, which also brought the NHA into existence. A broad cross-section of Thai society was represented, including 178 delegations from government agencies and provincial authorities, the private sector and civil society. In addition, groups including stateless people living near the Myanmar border gave presentations at technical briefings for participants. Dr Kumanan Rasanathan, from WHO’s Department of Ethics, Equity, Trade and Human Rights, described the meeting as “a very interesting exercise in participatory governance”.