Abstract
Promoting the Civil Society and Mass Media for Health System ReformThis study is a participatory action research project launched in 4 provinces of 4 pouts of Thailand, including: Nakornratchasima, Trung , Phitsanuloke and Samutprakarn for 18 months during May 2000 to October 2001.The objectives are to study existing relationships among three local networks: public health network, mass media network and civil society network ; and to promote learning processes and cooperation model development for creating health system reform movements at local level.The project was delivered by a central team and 4 area teams of researchers. The operation has 4 steps: (1) study the area contexts and mapping local potentialities (2) workshop of the researchers and some key persons from the target networks to identify a definite issue for social movement, target groups and to design a process of movements (3) take action (4) workshop for lessons learning and synthesizing a body of knowledge about the possible roles of civil society and mass media for promoting the health system reform.The project findings are: 1. In the process of social movements promoting the health system reform to be a consensus local agenda, the issue of “social health” is sound possible and appropriate because local communities have holistic viewpoints for their health. 2. The powerful communications to promote local agenda of health need an integrative model of mass media, traditional media and personal media which request an appropriate designing for a specific area. 3. A civil society of mass media for local health could be easily organized by setting a angular platform for health issue dialogue. The stakeholders, local intellectuals, academics, professionals, mass media and traditional media are the target groups to participate the forum, which should be started from their common heath problems or same local public issues. 4. The local civil society has potential roles of “the learning process” and “the movements for social change” which takes part in social a wareness, promoting of people participation and local interactive learning through actions as well.
