Palliative Care Situation Analysis

Palliative care is an essential component of Thailand’s health system, particularly as the country has now entered a fully aged society. However, integrating service delivery between the public and private sectors across different localities remains a significant challenge. Despite the existence of multi-level service provision in the public system and ongoing efforts to establish standards, mechanisms for integration across government agencies and system-level collaboration with the private sector remain unclear, and there is no national-level evaluation. In addition, limitations in benefit packages and health financing continue to pose major obstacles. Existing research on palliative care in Thailand largely focuses on hospital-based services, leaving important gaps in understanding the overall service delivery landscape—especially within the private sector and in home-based care. This study therefore aims to develop an integrated conceptual framework for a palliative care system tailored to local contexts. It will do so through service assessment informed by international best practices, identifying opportunities for improvement, challenges, and enabling factors for successful service delivery. The research activities include: a scoping review of literature on palliative care models and standards in both international and Thai contexts; in-depth interviews and fieldwork involving public, private, and community settings; quantitative analysis to assess service utilization and patient needs; and the development of policy recommendations through dialogues and workshops with policymakers and stakeholders. The project aims to identify, categorize, and compare the existing models of palliative care delivery in Thailand—across the public sector, private sector, non-profit organizations, and civil society. It will analyze each model’s enabling factors and systemic barriers, using the WHO’s six building blocks framework (service delivery, health workforce, information systems, medicines and technology, financing, and governance—not limited to the public sector alone). Ultimately, the study will synthesize policy recommendations to address systemic barriers and propose effective, scalable service delivery models that enhance equity in palliative care.