Projected number of people with dementia Thailand 2015-2050
State of health in Thailand
The state of health in Thailand has proven to be outstanding with the life expectancy amounting to approximately 70 years. The death rate of fatal diseases in Thailand, such as malaria, has lowered significantly with only eight deaths in 2018. This was considered to be quite an improvement when compared to the 80 deaths from malaria in 2010. Although Thailand has shown an outstanding improvement in its healthcare system, non-communicable diseases are still one of the major health problems in the country, with cancer being the leading cause of death by illness. In 2018, there were around 81 thousand deaths caused by cancer or malignant neoplasms.
Healthcare system
Thailand has great resources when it comes to supporting and caring for its invalids, with around 1,400 hospitals situated all over the country. In addition, the Thai healthcare system also provides comprehensive medical support programs like the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS), also known as the “golden card”. The UCS was initially a part of political campaigns and it became effective in 2002, allowing Thai citizens to receive medical treatment with only 30 Thai baht payment. The budget for the UCS has been increasing annually; it amounted to around 182 billion Thai baht in 2019.