Dr. Tedros, Director-General of the World Health Organization, is unfortunately unable to attend this meeting in person due to other commitments. I am, however, pleased to deliver this message on his behalf.
I Quote:
Esteemed Delegates
Good morning
It is an honour to join this National UHC Conference 2025, with a theme that’s most appropriate and relevant today - “Ensuring SAFE Financing for UHC.”
The health financing systems globally are under unprecedented strain.
The sustainability of health services is threatened by persistent macro-fiscal vulnerabilities, chronic underinvestment in health, continued dependence on inefficient and inequitable out-of-pocket spending, and reliance on external aid.
At the same time, the increasing demands of ageing populations, the growing burden of noncommunicable diseases, and the escalating health impacts of climate change continue to put pressure on the already-stretched budgets.
Against this backdrop, sustained and strategic reform is not optional — it is essential to secure resilient and equitable financing for Universal Health Coverage.
Thailand has long set a global standard for smart and inclusive health financing policies and reforms.
Since the launch of the Universal Coverage Scheme in 2002, Thailand has shown how political determination, citizen engagement, and a coherent financing architecture can transform the health of a nation.
Today, with UHC reaching the entire population, Thailand continues to inspire countries around the world that seek to accelerate progress towards equity and financial protection.
Yet, like many nations, Thailand also faces a new generation of challenges.
Demographic and epidemiological transitions, the high cost of new technologies, and broader macroeconomic volatility are all placing significant pressures on the long-term sustainability of UHC.
Additionally, fragmentation across insurance schemes continues to create operational complexity and equity gaps.
Remaining responsive in this evolving landscape requires adaptive and resilient financing systems.
In adopting the SAFE framework—Sustainable, Adequate, Fair and Efficient—Thailand is powerfully demonstrating its commitment to institutionalizing resilience.
It shows the world that evidence-informed prioritization, the efficient allocation of resources, and a commitment to fairness are not just financial strategies. They are pathways to protecting health gains and ensuring that no one is left behind, even during fiscal stress.
Across the WHO South-East Asia Region, countries are confronting similar—and often far more severe —structural challenges in their pursuit of UHC.
Many face acute fiscal limitations, high levels of out-of-pocket expenditure, and the urgent need to design financing arrangements that simultaneously expand coverage, improve efficiency, and advance equity.
While mobilizing more domestic resources is important for achieving and sustaining UHC, other actions are equally essential.
Spending better and more efficiently is equally important, and perhaps even more critical.
Whether additional resources translate into real health gains will depend on enhancing allocative efficiency—through prioritization of cost-effective, high-impact interventions.
The same applies to improving technical efficiency, through strategic purchasing, payment reform, and integrated service delivery.
Earlier this year, the World Health Organization released a new guidance document titled “Responding to the health financing emergency: immediate measures and longer-term shifts.” This provides practical steps to stabilize essential services affected by aid cuts in the short term, while charting a path toward sustainable, domestically financed and self-reliant health systems for the future.
It builds on WHO’s commitment to UHC, anchored in strong primary health care, and aligns with World Health Assembly mandates on strengthening health financing globally and advancing the economics of health for all.
I am pleased to note that UHC is receiving increasing global attention.
Last week, the Government of Japan, the World Bank and WHO convened a UHC HighLevel Forum. It aims to drive reforms, showcase National Health Compacts, and shape global discussions ahead of the 2027 UN General Assembly meeting on UHC.
The Forum also launched the UHC Knowledge Hub in Tokyo to link commitments with financial and technical capacity.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I am deeply inspired by the ethos underpinning Thailand’s journey to UHC—captured so powerfully by a former Minister of Health, on UHC Day in 2016: “Because we are poor, we cannot afford not to have UHC.”
In Thailand’s experience, we see a profound truth: that even in resource-constrained settings, accelerated and transformative progress can be driven by political will, technical rigour, and coherent design.
As WHO, we look forward to learning from your experiences and supporting you in addressing the evolving challenges.
We need to protect health financing. We need to prioritize high-value investments. And we need to build health systems that endure through crisis and change.
Together, let us ensure that every person, everywhere, has access to health care they need, without financial hardship.
I thank you.
Unquote.
I echo that sentiment and look forward to the discussions ahead.
Thank you.