Thailand offers Apec insights into its ‘Smart Families’ policy

Department of Health director-general Dr Suwanchai Wattanayingcharoenchai said on Monday that the Public Health Ministry is prepared to cope with the issue by promoting “Smart Families”, enacting laws and formulating policies which are the second National Reproductive Health Development Policy and Strategy.

The policy aims to promote readiness for pregnancy, giving birth with full intention, and fostering the care of children for optimum growth with the full potential to become an important force for the country.

The ministry has also enacted an Act for Prevention and Solution of the Adolescent Pregnancy Problem to integrate relevant sectors to work together as a committee.

With this act, the birth rate among adolescents aged 15 to 19 is expected to decrease by nearly half within the next 10 years. By 2027, the ministry aims to reduce adolescent birth rate to less than 1.5 per thousand population.

The policy and strategy also will reduce the problem of disconnection from the education system and provide welfare to support adolescent mothers.

Suwanchai explained that Thailand’s population policy is divided into three phases.

He cited former prime minister Plaek Phibunsongkhram wanting Thai people to have more children so that the Thai population could increase from 14.5 million in 1937 to 26.3 million in 1960.

After that, however, Thailand supported family planning to reduce the birthrate when the population started to increase. The policy was launched in 1970 and was developed into the National Family Planning Programme and was recognised by foreign countries as a success, as contraception rate increased from 14 to 72 per cent.

Suwanchai said that the number and structure of the population in the third phase are more complex than in the past. It is a challenge for the new population policy because the fertility rate has significantly decreased.

There were several problems such as unprepared pregnancy, teenage pregnancy, unintended pregnancy, and unsafe abortion.

He revealed that Thailand is one of the countries with the lowest fertility rate, according to the World Population Prospect 2022. There were only 20 countries with a lower fertility rate than Thailand.

Speaking on the opening day of Apec Health Week, Thailand’s Deputy Public Health Minister Sathit Pitutecha on Monday said that 17 of 21 Apec members were facing a demography problem as the fertility rate is lower than the replacement rate, which could lead to reduction of the population and inflict long-term effects on the economy.

Sathit said that Thailand is also facing this problem as it is an ageing society and would soon become an aged society. He said that the total fertility rate in 2020 of 1.24 is lower than the required replacement rate of 1.6.

He mentioned that the number of newborns is decreasing every year. He revealed that there were around 700,000 newborns in 2017 but the number reduced to around 540,000 in 2021.

The birthrate is gradually decreasing and it would be near the mortality rate soon. If nothing is done immediately, the mortality rate would be higher and the Thai population might be reduced to half, he warned.

He said that the labour force will have to work for society, children and elders as their numbers will go down while their workload will increase.

Sathit speculated that the labour force would reduce by 15 million people in the next 40 years while the number of elders would increase by 12 million.

The change in demography is expected to affect Thailand’s economy, finance, and society.

The Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Health Week is being held at Millennium Hilton Bangkok in Thailand from Monday to Friday.

Apec members, including public health and family planning experts, civil society sector, educationql institutions, international organisations, and the private sector, are expected to exchange their opinions on various issues including population.