2025 UHC Day Champion
Dr. Viroj Tangcharoensathien
Vice Chair and Senior Advisor, International Health Policy Program Foundation, Thailand
Browse other champions
- Countries driving UHC progress
- Dr. Ricardo Baptista Leite, Founder and President of UNITE - Parliamentarian’s Network for Global Health
- Dr. Viroj Tangcharoensathien, Vice Chair and Senior Advisor, International Health Policy Program Foundation, Thailand
- Solange Mbaye, Regional Programme Manager for Amref Health Africa, Senegal
- Levy Mkandawire, Programme Manager for Amref Health Africa, Zambia
- Concepta Kwaleyela, President of the Midwives Association of Zambia
- Professor Anne Beatrice Kihara, Former President of the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Kenya
- Hester Mkwinda Nyasulu, Country Manager for Amref, Malawi
- Habibou Ouedraogo, Health Economist, Ministry of Health, Burkina Faso
- Hon. Hyun-Young Shin, Congresswoman, 21st National Assembly of Republic of Korea
Advocating for UHC is easy; implementing UHC with favorable outcomes is extremely difficult. Countries really need capacities to design, implement, monitor and evaluate.
Dr. Viroj Tangcharoensathien has played a key role in shaping Thailand’s universal health coverage (UHC) from design to implementation. Working with national reformers, he advanced progressive financing through general taxation, championed efficient provider payment reforms, and strengthened primary care contracting with a robust referral system, all of which enabled Thailand to achieve UHC in 2002 despite limited fiscal space.
A leading global health researcher, he has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications that have guided low- and middle-income countries in adapting Thailand’s UHC model. His collaboration with the National Statistical Office introduced monitoring of unmet health needs into national surveys, ensuring that evidence drives improvements and keeps inequities low. His analyses of pro-poor benefit incidence helped secure sustained political commitment.
Today, as a member of the National Health Security Board, National Health Security Office (NHSO), Dr. Viroj continues to steer Thailand’s UHC towards stronger efficiency, equity, and accountable governance.
