HPAP: Thailand
The Thailand Health and Pollution Assessment and Prioritization Program was created through a collaborative process that included leadership and technical inputs from the following organizations: Pollution Control Department, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Thailand • Bangkok Municipal Authority • Department of Disease Control, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand • Division of Industrial Factories, Ministry of Industry, Thailand • Environmental Health Bureau, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand • Industrial Estate Authority of Thailand • International Health Policy Development Office, Ministry of Public Health, Thailand • Pure Earth • United Nations Industrial Development Organization • United Nations Environment Programme. The assessment and prioritization program and associated activities were made possible through financial support from the European Commission and the Oak Foundation.
Status
HPAP validation meeting anticipated in February 2019.
Priority Issues
Ambient air pollution in Northern Thailand, chemical contamination.
Results
Financing secured for new air program aimed at understanding sources of air pollution in Northern Thailand and the associated disease burden.
As an upper-middle-income country, Thailand has fairly robust pollution assessment capacities, but nevertheless faces continuing challenges related to pollution and health. In recent years, air pollution controls in Bangkok have successfully reduced ambient particulate concentrations, but data shows that there are significant air pollution challenges in the North.
The Ministry of Public Health has a small Burden of Disease unit, but this does not specifically address pollution. Discussions are underway with the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation to provide technical support to this unit to improve local data collection and burden of disease analysis.
Thailand recently released a National Environmental Health Action Plan, prepared with WHO support. The Plan identifies key issues without setting priorities or providing resources. The HPAP builds on this Plan and includes designs for programs and projects that advance the key issues identified in the National Environmental Health Action Plan.
Next Steps
Pure Earth will continue to look for resources to both move forward with implementation of the road map and assist the Government to implement activities and programmes.
Report
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Cover photo: by Marco Verch available at https://bit.ly/2XfsRU9 and used under Creative Commons License 2 Generic https://bit.ly/2XbsgmC.
