Thailand

Key Results

Community-led health services were included in the government-funded public health system and to be directly reimbursed by the Universal Health Coverage scheme;
National AIDS Committee endorsed Undetectable = Untransmissible (U=U) as a key strategy;
Development of National action plan to eliminate all forms of stigma and discrimination;
500 young people empowered to serve as youth advocates for sexual and reproductive health and rights of adolescent and young people.

Joint Programme Results

In 2022, Thailand officially included community-led health services in the government funded public health system and the National Security Health Office approved community-led HIV prevention, treatment, and care services to be directly reimbursed through the Universal Health Coverage scheme same as formal health services. Following this development, the first national certification system for people living with HIV volunteers was developed to strengthen peer support and ensure same day or rapid ART and others essential health services among people living with HIV.

As part of the Comprehensive HIV/AIDS Care and Support for and by people living with HIV initiative, 46 community health workers completed 90 hours of training improving their skills of treatment management, follow up, adherence counselling, onsite practice and delivery of integrated HIV, tuberculosis, sexually transmitted infections (STIs), hepatitis C and non-communicable diseases (UNAIDS Secretariat). Additionally, the Thai Network of People Living with HIV (TNP+) initiated pilot community-led monitoring in three healthcare facilities to improve access and quality of services among vulnerable and key population with technical and financial support from the Joint Team (UNAIDS Secretariat).

In the area of prevention, access to PrEP services among people who use or inject drugs was strengthened through the implementation of a pilot community-led one stop PrEP service delivery model at the Ozone Foundation harm reduction centre in Bangkok with 60 people accessing these services. A total of 54 representatives from 14 civil society organizations providing HIV and harm reduction services received training on delivery of HIV services for people who use stimulant drugs, including distribution of stimulant use related harm reduction commodities, prevention of HIV in sexualized drug use settings as well as counselling and psychosocial support (UNODC). In addition, 216 people, including nurses, penologists, and correctional officers from 97 prisons and correctional facilities improved their understanding of the needs of people who use or inject drugs, people with disability and mental health problems as well as transgender persons and people of sexual and gender minority through a tailored training on comprehensive package of interventions for HIV prevention, treatment and care in prisons and other closed settings (UNODC).

A total of 500 young people were empowered to serve as youth advocates for sexual and reproductive health and rights of adolescent and young people, through a Joint Team supported leadership training (UNFPA). In addition, nine Amaze.org animated videos on comprehensive sexuality education were adapted to local contexts and partner lesson plans were developed to support teachers, peer educations and facilitators in southeast Asian countries, including Thailand (UNESCO, UNFPA). The Office of the Basic Education Commission (OBEC) reviewed the Comprehensive Sexuality Education online course for teachers using inputs from a survey among 5300 teachers/educators through technical support from the Joint Team and 52 education personnel (UNESCO).

The National AIDS Committee endorsed Undetectable = Untransmissible (U=U) as a key strategy and signed a multistakeholder declaration to raise public awareness and address HIV-related stigma and discrimination (UNAIDS Secretariat).

To advance the protection of human rights and remove service barriers among key populations, 150 law enforcement officers had orientation on human rights, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression while 50 mid-level correctional officers received training to improve their skills of managing transgender prisoners (UNDP).

Civil society organizations from the LGBTI community drafted the legal gender recognition law that was reviewed in six public hearings with over 150 participants (UNDP).