Our Story

The National Health Foundation (NHF) was founded in response to the foreseen circumstance in the past. That was 30 years ago when Dr. Scott B. Halstead, the deputy head of Department of Health Science and the representative of the Rockefeller Foundation in Thailand funded the Ministry of Public Health to establish an advisory body, which was The National Epidemiology Board of Thailand (NEBT). At that time there was a discussion among the Thais on how should the newly established body be managed; should it be under the Thai bureaucracy or should it be an independent agency. While the Rockefeller Foundation wanted this advisory body to be a part of MOPH, the Thais saw the coming uncertainties and decided to establish NHF as an alternative. This decision was then approved by the Minister and the Permanent-Secretary of the MOPH, and Dr. Pairoj Ningsanon became its first president, while Dr. Sanguan Nittayarumphong became its first secretary-general.

However, as time goes by, the work of NEBT became increasingly impeded by politics, before it was finally disbanded by a minister, as foreseen. Since then the works of NEBT were transferred to NHF, along with Dr. Chanpen Chooprapawan, the secretary of the National Epidemiology Commission, who started working with NHF and had an important role in the transformation of health organizations in Thailand. Thai health sector is one of the most abundant in players than other sectors with the participation of many independent and semi-independent organizations, such as the Health System Research Institute (HSRI), the Thai Health Promotion Foundation, and the Social Security Office, the National Health Foundation (NHF). These organizations form a network, which work beyond their academic and institutional boundaries, and put them in position in which they were able to push forward and support health of the Thai people. This is a big challenge, therefore the ability to manage the organization, the knowledge, and oneself is very important, as in every other aspect of life.

The transformative role of NHF continued as both Dr. Paibul Suriyawongpaisal, former secretary general of NHF, and Dr. Somsak Chunharas,  former secretary general and the current president of NHF, take the foundation toward the knowledge creation and management role. This was evident when the Thailand Research Fund (TRF) asked NHF to support and manage research programs relating to health issues that are under the TRF supervision.

Dr. Somsak Chunharas, who was also the first president of Health System Research Institute (HSRI), is highly experienced in research management, and earned respect from the prominent figures in the field of health research, some of which are Dr. Ari Wanlayasevee,     Dr. Jarad Suwanwelaa, Dr. Tada Yipintsoi, and Dr. Vicharn Panich. These figures contribute to one of the outstanding quality of NHF. It is said that each person or each organization have their own unique strength and status, and they should work corresponding to these qualities. Some suggest that NHF should work on challenges that nobody else could achieve, that are to bridge and coordinate the works between various institutions, and take up difficult tasks that are of great importance to the country. In this time, when Thailand needs to maintain its balance to withstand the wave of changes and uncertainties from outside and within, Thai people need to realize that opinions alone cannot solve this country’s problem. What we need is the knowledge and the management to ensure that knowledge created is relevant to current problems, applicable, and well used. This knowledge also needs to be well assessed and modify according to changes in order to create practical solution to the problems. This mission requires individuals and organizations that can work the knowledge together and create social network like interconnected brain cells or a sky filled with stars. In this the NHF is just one small flame of a candle, but it is the responsibility of Thai people as a whole to light the flames and concentrate them all together to create a laser beam of knowledge, energizing Thailand to maintain its balance through the crisis. I wish you all best of health, longevity, and happiness and I wish you all the strength to create everything good for our country.