Kjeld Hansen, past-Chair of the European Lung Foundation (ELF) and member of the World Health Organization Civil Society Commission (WHO CSC) steering committee, attended Thailand’s 17th National Health Assembly on the 27–28 November.
Kjeld attended Thailand’s National Health Assembly as a member of the World Health Organization Civil Society Commission (WHO CSC) steering committee, where he represents ELF. Thailand hosted meetings with the WHO Core Group this year to discuss how social participation could be used to develop new health policies and ensure members of the civil society have a voice in healthcare decision-making. Alongside attending these meetings, Kjeld and other members of the WHO CSC joined Thailand’s Deputy Health Minister, Dej-is Khaothong, and the Regional Director of WHO South-East Asia, Saima Wazed, on stage at the opening ceremony of the event to promote social participation in healthcare.
The theme of this year was “New Wealth for Health,” focusing on how Universal Health Coverage (UHC) can be achieved to ensure people around the world can access essential health services without having to worry about costs. The aim is to reduce healthcare inequalities and ensure no one is left behind. The goal is to achieve UHC by 2030 and the WHO CSC plays an important role in ensuring social participation is achieved.
Involving civil society organisations in all aspects of healthcare, from planning to implementation, is crucial for creating changes that meet the needs of everyone. Kjeld and other members of the WHO CSC will continue advocating for the needs of people living with health conditions and their involvement in healthcare decision-making, ensuring that patients have a say in shaping better health outcomes. By attending the Thai National Health Assembly, civil society organisations can drive changes in health policy alongside researchers and government officials. Saima Wazed highlighted this in her opening speech:
“When people are able to share their insights, needs and challenges from decision making to the implementation, that is when the actual health of nations will change.” – Saima Wazed
Kjeld’s work with the WHO CSC is a reminder of the importance of empowering people with lived experience of disease to make their voices heard in healthcare. These efforts aim to build trust in healthcare systems and ensure that the perspectives of people with lived experience of health conditions are considered.
“Many people are not aware of how people with lived experiences of diseases can make a change within healthcare. I hope that these efforts can help to make it clear who the work that ELF does supports a larger agenda and how we can all come together for better decision making.” – Kjeld Hansen
