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Chapter 29 - Embedding People’s Voice and Ensuring Participatory Governance

Lessons from the Thai Experience in Community Engagement

from Section 2 - Transforming Health Systems: Confronting Challenges, Seizing Opportunities

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 December 2022

By
Walaiporn Patcharanarumol ,
Viroj Tangcharoensathien ,
Somtanuek Chotchoungchatchai ,
Dheepa Rajan  and
Sameen Siddiqi
Edited by
Sameen Siddiqi ,
Awad Mataria ,
Katherine D. Rouleau  and
Meesha Iqbal
Sameen Siddiqi
Affiliation:
Aga Khan University
Awad Mataria
Affiliation:
World Health Organization, Egypt
Katherine D. Rouleau
Affiliation:
University of Toronto
Meesha Iqbal
Affiliation:
UTHealth School of Public Health, Houston
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Summary

This chapter focuses on how community engagement (CE) can be implemented at the national and sub-national levels. CE has been identified as an essential pillar of strong people-centred governance which is needed to underpin Universal Health Coverage (UHC) reforms. The “whole of society approach” acknowledges the importance of families and communities in support of the efforts for disease prevention and control. It provides an overview of the evidence and outlines processes that enable effective community engagement and highlights lessons drawn. In particular, Thailand’s Universal Coverage Scheme’s (UCS) participatory governance approach has been a practical example and one of the myriad ways in which the voice of Thailand’s people has been embedded in legislations and operations to ensure that the governance of UCS is responsive to their needs. Four lessons from this experience include leadership and commitment at all levels, transparency and accountability to enable sustained engagement, legal frameworks, and the need for strong capacities in both the government and among communities. Lastly, it proposes the lessons learned and key messages for a proactive approach to CE in health.

Keywords

Participatory governanceResponsive governanceCommunity engagementCommunity participationCitizen engagementUniversal Health CoverageThailandL&MIC
Type
Chapter
Information
Making Health Systems Work in Low and Middle Income Countries
Textbook for Public Health Practitioners
 , pp. 449 - 463
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2022

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