Abstract
In 2024, the Ministry of Public Health introduced a flagship government policy titled “30-Baht
Treatment Everywhere with a National ID Card.” This initiative was designed to integrate
personal health records (PHR) across public health facilities nationwide. The policy aimed to
improve access to convenient, high-quality primary healthcare, reduce travel and waiting
times, and empower citizens to leverage their health data for better health and well-being.
Under the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS), Thai citizens could access healthcare services at
both public facilities and registered private clinics covered by the National Health Security
Office (NHSO). The policy was implemented in three pilot phases, with 46 provinces
participating by the end of 2024.
Developmental Evaluation (DE) was employed as an approach particularly suited to assessing
complex, dynamic, and emerging policies during their implementation phase. The objectives
of this study were to explore and evaluate policy outcomes in pilot areas and to develop
context-specific recommendations for policy improvement. Using a co-creation approach,
evaluators and stakeholders worked collaboratively to provide timely feedback throughout
the evaluation period. The research team, as part of the NHSO's monitoring and evaluation
committee, worked closely with representatives from the Ministry of Public Health, health
professional councils, implementers, and academics. This collaborative structure enabled a
timely feedback loop, facilitating the identification of implementation challenges and the
proposal of practical solutions during the early stages of policy deployment.
The Theory of Change (TOC) was employed as a tool to capture the perceptions of policy
goals from the perspectives of both policymakers and implementers during the first phase in
the pilot provinces. It also helped identify potential positive and negative impacts of policy
implementation and informed the design of data collection methods. The study adopted a
mixed-methods research approach, integrating qualitative and quantitative methodologies to
evaluate the policy's effects on healthcare providers, patients, and the healthcare system.
Additionally, the research examined factors that facilitated or hindered implementation
readiness in other areas, as well as the unit cost of service provision, to provide policymakers
with insights for determining appropriate reimbursement rates.
