Pattana holds talks with South Korea to strengthen Thailand’s vaccine production

Public Health Minister Pattana Promphat revealed that he, along with Somrerk Chungsaman, Permanent Secretary for Public Health, and senior ministry executives, joined Prime Minister and Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul in attending the National APEC Economic Leaders’ Week in the Republic of Korea from October 29 to November 1, 2025, where they held bilateral talks with SK bioscience to enhance Thailand’s vaccine security, reduce reliance on imports, and strengthen the Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO) in preparation for future outbreaks.

The government aims to reinforce Thailand’s vaccine security by promoting the use of domestically produced vaccines under the national vaccine self-reliance strategy. A key part of this initiative is to upgrade the GPO’s vaccine manufacturing facilities to enable the development of vaccines that are affordable and accessible to all groups of people, while ensuring broad immunisation coverage. This meeting also provided an opportunity to discuss vaccine technology transfer between the two sides.

Pattana added that the delegation also held bilateral discussions with agencies under South Korea’s Ministry of Health and Welfare, including the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) and the National Evidence-based Healthcare Collaborating Agency (NECA), which play major roles in supervising and evaluating the national health insurance system.

Both sides discussed healthcare financing management within universal health coverage systems — including the design and reform of payment mechanisms for healthcare providers, as well as defining the scope and standards of medical services covered under national health insurance schemes. These measures aim to control costs and ensure appropriate pricing of medical services.

They also exchanged views on new health technology assessment (HTA) methods, such as early access review, safety monitoring systems, and research implementation aligned with health regulations.

In addition, the meeting explored cooperation on health policy development, capacity building in the health workforce, and the use of information and communication technology (ICT) to enhance efficiency. Both sides also discussed strengthening evidence-based public health research to support policy-making and improve the effectiveness of national healthcare strategies.