Non-Thai Population Research (NTPR)

Who are we

NTPR was established in 2018 with the aim of conducting health policy and system research related to non-Thai population groups and networking with academic and policy partners. The target populations of the research themes are non-Thai populations and vulnerable populations who are likely to face barriers to accessing healthcare. These include migrants (low-skilled and high-skilled migrant workers) and their dependents, stateless people, urban refugees and asylum seekers, and expatriates. Also, for the Thai citizens, our research team members are involved in research projects that target young children, women, patients with chronic conditions, and prisoners.

NTPR researchers engage in the policy platform and play a vital role in encouraging the use of evidence for policy formulation and implementation. For example, senior NTPR researchers are involved in the academic committee working on migrant issues in the process of policy development and advocacy at the Health Systems Research Institute (HSRI), the Thai Health Promotion Foundation, and the Ministry of Public Health of Thailand. The NTPR team also works with different health and non-health organizations, non-profit organizations, and academic institutes to generate up-to-date evidence responding to new emerging situations such as education policy for migrant children and COVID-19.

NTPR is currently working with international partners including the World Health Organization (WHO), the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the Asia Pacific Observatory on Health Systems and Policies (APO), the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), the National University of Singapore (NUS), and the University of Malaya. These collaborations have been formed to provide evidence-based policy messages that become of interest to our partners.

Our challenge

As there are multiple stakeholders involved in this research field, multisectoral collaborations are key to finding agreed-upon actions across disciplines. However, policy directions on health systems and non-Thai population groups largely depend on political opportunities, and are also linked to national security. As a result, there is a need for political will to move the policy agenda in this field to national consideration.