National Action Plan for Health Security

Objectives

The National Action Plan for Health Security 2023–2027 provides Thailand’s framework for preventing, detecting and controlling diseases, health hazards and public health emergencies, while minimising disruption to international travel and trade.[1][2]It seeks to meet Thai and international health standards, improve population health and support stable, prosperous and sustainable national development.[3][4]

• Strengthen policies, legislation, financing, resource management, research, technology, innovation and databases in line with the International Health Regulations.[3][4]
• Close gaps across the 19 International Health Regulations technical areas, covering prevention, detection, response and hazard-specific capacities including antimicrobial resistance, zoonoses, food safety, laboratories, surveillance, workforce, emergency management, points of entry, chemical events and radiation emergencies.[2]
• Improve public health operations, health services, health literacy, equity of access and protection from infectious, zoonotic, food, chemical and radiological risks.[5][3]
• Advance five action plans on national policy, law and resource systems; health-service provision; health-hazard surveillance; public health safety and biosecurity; and International Health Regulations implementation linked to economic, social, security and environmental development.[6][7]

By 2027, the plan targets 70% up-to-date health literacy; a 30% reduction in illness from emerging infectious diseases, zoonoses and substandard-food hazards; a 50% reduction in deaths from emerging infectious and zoonotic diseases; full management of specified chemical and radiological emergencies; 85% public, investor and tourist confidence; and an average International Health Regulations competency score of 4.75, compared with 4.25 in 2022.[6]

• Strengthen risk communication and community engagement, with risk-communication performance scores targeted at 5 annually and provincial network participation rising from 80% in 2023 to 100% in 2027.[8]
• Expand integrated surveillance, data linkage, early warning, risk analysis and citizen reporting, including artificial-intelligence-enabled national database development.[9][10]
• Develop a coordinated One Health system across human, animal, wildlife and environmental health to prevent and control zoonotic and emerging threats.[11][12]
• Improve preparedness, continuity of essential health services, emergency medical care, laboratory capacity, infection prevention and control, immunisation, biosafety and biosecurity.[13][14][15]

Implementation

Implementation uses a whole-of-government, multisectoral and One Health approach, drawing on Joint External Evaluation findings, stakeholder needs, risk analysis, national strategies and departmental policies to set priorities, projects, targets and indicators.[5][16]The Department of Disease Control leads strategic development and serves as secretariat to the National Action Plan for Health Security executive committee, while partner agencies, local authorities, health personnel, communities, civil society and private-sector organisations contribute to delivery.[6][7][17]

• Coordinate the Ministry of Public Health with the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, Royal Thai Police, Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, security agencies, public and private partners, civil society and international collaborators.[1]
• Review and enforce legal instruments, including the Communicable Diseases Act B.E. 2558 (2015), clarify institutional authority and accountability, develop guidance and strengthen cross-border cooperation.[18][8]
• Establish and strengthen International Health Regulations National Focal Point structures, standard operating procedures, electronic reporting, preparedness for mass gatherings and coordination with provincial, neighbouring-country and international partners.[19][20]
• Develop national, regional, provincial and community One Health coordination units, expand the One Health Steering Committee and share personnel, expertise, data and response plans across sectors.[21][11]
• Strengthen emergency management through task forces, Emergency Operations Centres, incident command arrangements, risk assessments, business continuity plans, drills, surge staffing, logistics and interoperable information platforms.[22][23][24]

Delivery includes integrated surveillance and laboratory systems, public and private reporting, event-based surveillance, geographic information system modelling, early-warning dashboards, linked health data, food safety and zoonotic surveillance, immunisation systems, laboratory referral networks and point-of-entry operations.[9][25][26][27]Health-service measures include clinical guidance, continuity planning, emergency care networks, support for vulnerable populations, supply-chain resilience and digital health tools.[13][28]

• Use performance agreements, agency-specific indicators, strategic communication and budget proposals to connect implementation responsibilities with resource allocation.[17][29]
• Monitor projects quarterly, review executive findings monthly, conduct annual internal evaluations and assess budget expenditure quarterly through e-budgeting systems.[29]
• Evaluate agency and civil-service performance twice yearly through the E-PA system, alongside twice-yearly strategic risk reviews and documented progress reports on delivery, budgets, obstacles and lessons learned.[30][31]
• Maintain International Health Regulations assessments, annual self-assessments, simulation exercises and after-action reviews to identify gaps and guide continuous improvement.[32][2]

Financing is intended to use flexible, transparent and cost-effective national and agency budget arrangements, domestic and international support, and joint budgeting for cross-sector priorities.[33][34]The plan targets an increase in projects receiving International Health Regulations implementation funding from 50% in 2023 to 90% in 2027, but does not specify an overall National Action Plan budget or consolidated funding gap.[35]

Monitoring & Evaluation

The National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS) establishes a comprehensive monitoring, evaluation and accountability system across the International Health Regulations (IHR) technical areas. It combines annual targets, competency assessments, surveillance data, project monitoring, agency performance agreements, internal review and cross-sector accountability mechanisms.[6][17][30]

• Measure national IHR capacity through Joint External Evaluation indicators, with the average competency score targeted to increase from 4.25 in 2022 to 4.75 by 2027.[3][6]
• Track annual Action Plan 1 targets, including a legal-instrument score of 5 each year, one law, regulation or criterion developed or improved annually, personnel competency rising from 50% in 2023 to 90% in 2027, and one updated legal communication product annually.[7]
• Monitor financing coverage for IHR implementation projects, targeted to rise from 50% in 2023 to 90% in 2027, alongside gender-disaggregated data production, focal-point functions, multisectoral coordination, workforce safety and risk communication.[35][36][37]
• Assess risk communication through annual performance scores of 5 and provincial-network participation rising from 80% in 2023 to 100% in 2027.[8]
• Strengthen surveillance through integrated early-warning systems, linked databases, event-based reporting, laboratory and epidemiological data integration, geographic information system modelling, artificial intelligence analysis and citizen reporting.[9][10][38][21]
• Monitor surveillance performance through event verification and investigation scores of 5, reporting and investigation within 24 hours rising from 75% in 2023 to 95% in 2027, and flexible event-based surveillance reaching full development in 2026.[25][39]
• Evaluate food safety, zoonotic disease control and immunisation through risk-based surveillance, emergency exercises, after-action reviews, vaccine coverage monitoring, cold-chain assessment and linked population records.[26][40][41][42]
• Assess emergency preparedness through annual drills, risk assessments covering at least three diseases or hazards, preparedness plans based on the 2P2R principles, emergency-care access, and IHR capacity targets across six indicators.[43][44][45][22]
• Monitor emergency operations centres, disaster surveillance, resource management and Emergency Support Function 8 using assessments, on-site monitoring, surveys, platform integration and drills.[46][47][48]
• Establish unified accountability through quarterly project and key performance indicator reviews, monthly executive reporting, annual internal evaluations, twice-yearly strategic assessment and internal audit, performance agreements, and twice-yearly civil-service assessment through the E-PA system.[17][29][30]
• Apply project monitoring forms to record strategic alignment, implementation and budget progress, schedule and cost variance, obstacles, lessons learned, corrective action and approval responsibilities.[30][31][49][50]

Costing & Financing

NAPHS promotes flexible, transparent and cost-effective financing for IHR implementation, emergency preparedness and cross-sector delivery. It links agency plans, budgets, performance agreements and expenditure monitoring, but most action areas do not provide comprehensive costings, funding-gap values or economic assumptions.[33][34][17][30]

• Finance IHR implementation through the national budget and other sources, with mechanisms intended to enable agencies to access routine-capacity and emergency-response resources promptly.[35]
• Review budget-management laws, agency requests, investment plans, allocations and international funding use to improve flexibility, transparency, alignment and cost-effectiveness.[33][34]
• Use emergency budget mechanisms, streamlined procurement, central funds, external loans and annual agency operating plans to support rapid public health emergency response.[32][19][51][24]
• Address identified financing constraints, including inadequate joint funding for IHR activities outside the Ministry of Public Health, insufficient resources for laboratories, One Health, field epidemiology, infection prevention and control, workforce incentives, mental health, health literacy and digital technology.[52][53][54]
• Mobilise domestic, private-sector, development-partner and international support for emergency operations, laboratory systems, zoonotic disease control, points of entry, radiation preparedness and related health-security capacities.[55][56][57][12]
• Integrate workplans and budgets into participating agencies’ annual operating plans, and monitor expenditure quarterly through e-budgeting and project budget-progress reviews.[24][58][29][30]
• Provide specified budgets for selected emergency medical, surveillance, information-system and biosafety activities, while the document does not specify total NAPHS costs, overall financing requirements, monetary funding gaps or economic assumptions.[59][47][48][9][60]