Thicha Nanakorn criticizes ThaiHealth funding and government policy implementation

Thicha Nanakorn, a prominent child rights activist and former board member of the Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth), has criticized the distribution of funding and the effectiveness of government implementation of social policies.

Nanakorn stated that massive amounts of ThaiHealth funding are requested by government agencies—including the Ministries of Public Health, Defense, Education, and Justice, as well as local administrative organizations—rather than NGOs. She noted that while these agencies have existing budgets, they often struggle to implement innovations effectively once a project concludes due to bureaucratic systemic issues.

Furthermore, Nanakorn argued that NGOs are often left to manage the fallout of flawed government policies. She cited the liberalization of cannabis and kratom as examples where the government celebrated policy victories, while the difficult task of managing the social consequences fell heavily on NGOs working with children, youth, and families.