Government Spokesperson Urges ThaiHealth to Use Funds Wisely
Government spokesperson Ekaphop Piarpises has criticized ThaiHealth’s 4‑billion‑baht annual budget from sin taxes, urging the agency to spend the money on concrete health services rather than on training, meetings, events, and advertising. He said the yearly allocation could fund thousands of ambulances, outpatient buildings, medical supplies, AEDs, or even a specialty hospital each year. Ekaphop stressed that health promotion must follow proven public‑health principles and that the budget should be integrated into the regular state budget process.
Government spokesperson Ekaphop Piarpises criticized ThaiHealth’s 4-billion-baht budget from sin taxes, saying it should be used for tangible health benefits rather than spent on training, meetings, events, and advertising. He posted on his personal Facebook page on October 10, 2026, explaining that the fund’s size is often cited without showing its economic impact in reducing disease incidence or severity. To illustrate, he noted the yearly budget could buy 1,270 ambulances with advanced life‑support equipment, build 80 outpatient buildings for community hospitals, purchase medical supplies for 13,000 health stations, acquire 57,000 AED defibrillators, or fund one tertiary‑level specialty hospital each year. Ekaphop added that disease prevention and health promotion are important, but must follow sound public‑health theory, not just scatter money on workshops, conferences, events, or advertising campaigns. He argued that ThaiHealth’s budget should be brought into the regular state budget process.
