Weaning ThaiHealth off its bad habits

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EDITORIAL
Weaning ThaiHealth off its bad habits
The Nation

Dubious use of funds and unethical moves by its executives have finally spurred a reassessment of the public agency

BANGKOK: -- Money corrupts, just as power does, and great wealth can corrupt absolutely. For this reason public agencies with massive budgets, such as the Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth), must be utterly transparent in their dealings with the taxpayer. Their credibility is at stake, after all, and by extension their very existence.

Despite its noble objectives and significant contributions to public welfare, ThaiHealth has this month found its independence under threat.

Scepticism about its spending priorities is widespread. Questions arise over its determination to address the public interest. And yet only recently, amid suspicions of conflicts of interest, has ThaiHealth come under close financial scrutiny.

It sponsors, for example, projects like the annual New Year's prayer and meditation sessions, and helps fund media outlets, none of which seem relevant to its core objective of promoting public health. Worse by far, several of the organisation's executives have established foundations that turn around and seek funding from ThaiHealth.

The enormous income generated by the so-called "sin taxes" on alcohol and tobacco has made ThaiHealth an influential agency. Last year it was able to grant almost Bt4.6 billion to the organisers of more than 4,000 projects, and according to one external assessment, it doesn't even consider projects valued at less than Bt20 million. Yet that same report noted that projects can cost as little as Bt200,000 and still cover the fee of an expert in the given field.

Such questionable deployment of public funds has renewed the debate over whether ThaiHealth's own budget needs to be reined in. Its funding currently comes from a 2 per cent levy added to the sin taxes specifically for the purpose. That's estimated to bring in Bt3 billion to Bt4 billion a year. Its needs are set apart from the government's central budget, so that any funds not allocated in a given fiscal year can be retained for later use.

Established a decade and a half ago, ThaiHealth has done remarkable work in health promotion. Its financial muscle has enabled it to take on the heavyweights of the tobacco and liquor industries and mount creative, award-winning campaigns aimed at altering public attitudes about harmful habits.

Such outstanding achievements fail, however, to excuse the organisation from being fully open and transparent in its reporting to the public. It exists because no other agency existed that could be trusted to handle an enormous budget free of political influence. Its work often runs counter to the interests of big business, so it must shun any direct connection with business and politics.

The Auditor-General's Office has now decided that ThaiHealth regulations are not strict enough to prevent conflict of interest within its ranks. It wants greater oversight of project-funding allocations to ensure efficiency and full benefit to the public.

ThaiHealth has in turn agreed to amend legislation governing its operation with an eye to improved efficiency and transparency. Section 3 of the legislation, it concurs, is open to exploitation due to the potential for misinterpretation, and Section 10, giving ThaiHealth a free hand in spending, needs to be rewritten.

To maintain its independence, ThaiHealth has no other choice in the matter except to clean house. Its mega-budget keeps it in the limelight, so failure to make amends will only jeopardise its status further, perhaps its very existence. To survive, and to continue honouring its core objectives, ThaiHealth must never let slip the checks and balances so essential to any public agency's integrity.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/opinion/Weaning-ThaiHealth-off-its-bad-habits-30271714.html


-- The Nation 2015-10-28

[doremifasol]

To survive, and to continue honouring its core objectives,

start

[godden]

No surprises here.

[FangFerang]

Um, the written stated objectives of ThaiHealth includes GMOs - and that always involves politics. The current powers that be were miffed that included criticizing some of their lop-sided measures.

Same same, but different.....

[DaiHard]

It should be closed and its funds given to the underfunded public hospitals. It was never meant to suceed in the stated objectives of reducing tobacco and alcohol consumption - its funding method proves that. If it is successful then its funding wiuld be reduced and so that's a no-no. It was set up as a figleaf to disguise the fact that the government derives a significant chunk of its revenues from alcohol and tobacco taxes. And as for taking on the giants of the tobacco industry, very funny when you consider that tobacco is sold through a government owned tobacco monopoly.

[ozyjon]

Boring

moving on

next,,,,

[Thai at Heart]

It's a gigantic slush fund with no accountability. Sounds like a great place to work.