The President of the Privy Council presided over the signing ceremony of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the Ministry of Public Health, Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research, and Innovation, and Ministry of Education. The agreement aims to produce 62,000 healthcare workers over the next 10 years under the "9 Doctors" program. This initiative will strengthen primary health care systems to serve local communities nationwide, starting from the 2025 academic year.

 

Dr. Somsak Thepsuthin, Minister of Public Health

 

On September 16, 2024, at Novotel Bangkok Suvarnabhumi Airport, General Surayud Chulanont, President of the Privy Council, led the signing ceremony for this MOU, which is designed to develop medical professionals and health innovation teams in family medicine to meet the needs of primary health care across Thailand. The program, spanning from academic years 2025 to 2034, will involve the production of 62,000 healthcare professionals, including doctors, nurses, nurse assistants, public health assistants, and specialists.

The key figures involved in the signing include:

• Dr. Somsak Thepsuthin, Minister of Public Health
• Anutin Charnvirakul, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior
• Supamas Isarapakdi, Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research, and Innovation
• Pol Gen. Prawit Wongsuwan, Minister of Education

The program will train professionals in nine key healthcare fields over a decade, supported by a budget of 37.23 billion baht. The goal is to produce 1,000 professionals per year in fields such as general medicine, nursing, public health, and community dentistry.

Dr. Wichai, a special professor, emphasized that this initiative, which celebrates the 91st birthday of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit, aims to develop a network for producing and enhancing academic personnel and improving the curriculum and capacity of healthcare education. This includes creating guidelines for student recruitment, planning workforce development, and addressing the shortage of medical, nursing, and public health personnel.

 

 

 

 

Source: Ministry of Public Health News.