IHPP Foundation and PMAC SI Joins ADB’s UHC PEERS Workshop

Policymakers, academics, and development partners from across Asia Pacific gathered in Hong Kong from 27 to 30 April 2026 for the Asian Development Bank’s Universal Health Coverage Peer-to-Peer Exchange for Reforms and Solutions (UHC PEERS) Workshop. The four-day workshop, brought together participants from over a dozen countries to share experiences, challenges, and strategies on the journey toward UHC.

The Thai delegation comprising Dr. Woranan Witthayapipopsakul and Ms. Divya Lakhotia from the International Health Policy Program (IHPP) Foundation and PMAC Strategic Institute, along with Ms. Supannee Choowet and Mr. Peeradon Chanrit from the National Health Security Office (NHSO), played an active role throughout the workshop.

The Importance of Peer-to-Peer Learning

In the opening session, Ms. Divya presented on the importance of peer-to-peer learning and the role of IHPP in facilitating regional knowledge exchange. Drawing on the INNE model for capacity building—spanning Individual, Node, Network, and Environment—she highlighted how structured peer learning accelerates a country’s UHC journey by enabling countries to learn directly from those who have navigated similar challenges.

Thailand's UHC Journey

Dr. Woranan presented Thailand's UHC journey as part of Session 1, alongside country presentations from India, Indonesia, the Philippines, and the Republic of Korea. Her presentation traced the development of Thailand's health system from the establishment of the Ministry of Public Health in 1942, through the scale-up of district health infrastructure and rural health workforce programmes, to the landmark introduction of the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) in 2002.

Thailand's UCS now covers approximately 70% of the population, with the remaining population served through the Social Health Insurance scheme for formal sector employees and the Civil Servant Medical Benefit Scheme. Together, the three schemes cover more than 99% of Thailand's population, with a comprehensive benefit package that includes preventive, curative, and rehabilitative care.

Ongoing challenges include an ageing population placing growing pressure on long-term care and fiscal sustainability; inequities across the three schemes in terms of benefit levels and provider payment; urbanisation and the relatively underdeveloped urban primary care system; and the governance of health centres as they transfer to local governments. The rapid rise of medical AI and digital innovation was also flagged as an area requiring stronger public sector technical capacity and readiness.

Workshop Structure and Themes

Over four days, the workshop covered a range of themes central to UHC implementation:

• Day 1 focused on country UHC journeys and common challenges, with an open space session allowing participants to visit country tables and exchange experience directly.
• Day 2 addressed population coverage gaps — particularly the 'missing middle' — and digital health, with group work on strategies for extending coverage and using digital tools for purchasing, fraud control, and monitoring.
• Day 3 included a field visit to the Yau Tsim Mong District Health Centre, offering a ground-level view of Hong Kong's primary care model.
• Day 4 brought participants together for reflections, priority-setting for peer learning in 2026, and discussion of emerging topics including AI and digital health, population ageing, and health taxes.

The ADB UHC PEERS workshop provided a valuable platform for experience-based exchange among countries at different stages of their UHC journeys. IHPP's participation reflects our ongoing commitment to regional knowledge exchange as a driver of health system strengthening.