Milestones

The Committee for ThaiHealth approved the first Strategic Plan with a budget of 9.5 million Baht.
ThaiHealth and its partners started their campaign for no drinking during Buddhist Lent and sent a letter requesting the Thai government to make Buddhist Lent an annual “National Day of No Alcoholic Drinks at Temples”.
ThaiHealth supported development of legislation, strategies and knowledge creation, and campaign for strict adherence to the rule of “no driving while under the influence of alcohol”.

A Joint campaign was organized to set up a Road Safety Centre.
ThaiHealth successfully campaigned for the Cabinet to ban broadcast advertisements for alcoholic beverages after 11 PM. In addition, a ban on posters advertising alcohol near educational institutions was also implemented.
This was the first year of the campaign for no alcoholic beverages during Buddhist Lent. Forty percent of the population abstained from alcoholic drinks; 85% said that information from the campaign was their inspiration.
A successful Cabinet Order led to an extension of airtime dedicated to programs for youth and family during prime time.
The Cabinet passed a resolution on 29th. of July to: reduce the impact of alcohol on children and youth by limiting radio and TV air-time advertising for alcoholic drinks between the hours of 5 to 11 PM; forbid advertising near educational institutions; and prohibit any sport sponsorships for educational institutions by businesses selling or promoting alcohol.

The Ministry of Health ordered a change that health warnings on cigarette packages be f picture health warnings rather than written words. This was effective 25 March, 2003; with positive results.
ThaiHealth was invited by the World Health Organization (WHO) to consult with other Southeast Asian countries on how to set up a similar foundation in other countries within the region.
The percentage of non-drinkers during Buddhist Lent increased to 50% as a result of a campaign for no alcohol; 84% of the population acknowledged campaign messages as their motivation.
The Food and Drug Administration banned the use of any sugar additives in milk for infants and young children as a result of ThaiHealth pressure.
International sports programs were declared “Sports without Alcohol” events. As a result, 14 sports associations terminated their sponsorships from businesses that deal with alcoholic drinks.
The percentage of alcohol consumers decreased from 39% in 2002 to 33% in 2003 as a result of ThaiHealth’s campaigns.

Thailand hosted the World Conference on Health Promotion.
By order of the Ministry of Health, Thailand became the third country in the world to enforce a ban on cigarette advertising at sales outlets.
ThaiHealth campaigns succeeded in persuading the Ministry of Education to increase physical education from one to two hours per week.

The Committee for ThaiHealth Foundation set up its first annual criteria with the slogan “60 years for 60 million: Good Health Starts with Youth”.
In accordance with a Royal Decree for health protection of non-smokers, 29 government organizations were chosen to pioneer cigarette-free zones across the country.
The rate of people smoking cigarettes at home decreased from 86% in 2000 to 59% in 2006 as a result of ThaiHealth’s campaign, Homes without Cigarettes.
The percentage of Thai people abstaining from alcohol during Lent increased from 40% in 1996 to 63%.

By Cabinet Resolution, a communication committee for promotion of public health was set up.
The Ministry of Public Health implemented policies banning distribution of samples of formula for infants born in hospitals throughout the country.
The Office of Primary Education prohibited soft drinks in all primary schools.
The Buddhist Council banned alcoholic drinks at all fairs organized by temples in Thailand.
The Thai Army implemented a master plan for health promotion.
The Cabinet passed a resolution to control the sweet market for children.
The Office of the Consumer Protection Board announced a standard for water coolers and restricted schools from using leaded water coolers.

Telephone service and consultation centers were developed to provide service and support for alcohol and cigarette cessation. These centers offered advice on treatment for people throughout Thailand.
Research centers for cigarettes, alcoholic beverages and road accident prevention set up by ThaiHealth were involved in organizing national and international meetings to gather new information for prevention of these serious health risks.
Several new policies, laws and strategies were put in place for the protection of children and youth including over-eating and the consumption of foods harmful to their health.
The Act Concerning Responsibility for Health Damage Caused by Consumption of Harmful Products was revised to provide more effective protection criteria for consumers.
Alcohol control legislation outlawed the sale of alcohol to children and teenagers under 20 years of age.
Thailand amended its 2007 traffic legislation to make punishment of drunk drivers more severe in both civil and penal codes. Police officers started using breathalyzers to check for drivers’ blood alcohol levels that exceeded the legal limit.
Surveys showed that nearly 90% of Thais had some knowledge and understanding of the dangers of driving when under the influence of alcohol; 85% said they were ready to change their driving behaviour by obeying the law.