Photo courtesy of World Health Organization

Thailand is in the pink. The Kingdom’s health care system is among the best in the world and a model for the region, according to British newsmagazine The Economist, which urged other countries to learn from Thailand’s achievements.

“Thai health care is among the most effective in the world. The average Thai can expect to live to 80, much longer than their regional counterpart (the Southeast Asian figure is 73) and even slightly longer than the average American and European (each roughly 79), according to the latest data from the United Nations,” The Economist wrote.

While the magazine gave mixed reviews to other aspects of Thailand’s politics and governance, it wrote, “One aspect of Thailand’s governance flourishes: its public health system. Remarkably, Thailand has achieved this as a developing country.”

The magazine traced this success back to the Kingdom’s fight against a communist insurgency that was spreading through parts of the countryside in the 1960s and 1970s. That led Thai leaders to focus on rural development. “Public health became a priority,” the Economist wrote. The government invested in infrastructure, including a national network of hospitals and clinics, and required medical school graduates to spend three years working in rural villages.

“But the big boost came in 2002 when the government rolled out a universal health-coverage program, which offered free health care to the poor and a nominal 30-baht ($1) fee for others,” the magazine wrote.

Equally impressive is that the program has proven affordable for the government, which funds it through tax revenues. Healthcare costs have not exceeded 3-4 percent of gross domestic product.

“Many countries are eager to emulate Thailand. Earlier this year, Saudi Arabia signed an agreement with the government to cooperate on public health matters. Thai delegations have traveled around Asia, Africa and the Middle East, too,” the magazine wrote.

However, the Economist wrote that the looming challenge for Thailand’s healthcare system is the Kingdom’s aging population. Projections are that within a decade, one-third of Thailand’s people will be over 60, creating additional burdens for the healthcare system.