On 29 November 2022, Mrs. Ureerat Chareontoh, Director-General of Thailand International Cooperation Agency (TICA), and H.E. Mr. Kiptiness Lindsay Kimwole, Ambassador of the Republic of Kenya to Thailand, visited Ms. Patricia Nyokabi and Ms. Tabitha Okech, Kenyan students who are currently studying, on TICA postgraduate scholarships, the Master of Science Programme in Health Technology Assessment at the Faculty of Pharmacy, Mahidol University. These scholarships are provided by TICA under the Development Cooperation Project on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) between Thailand and Kenya. Also present during the visit were Assoc. Prof. Surakit Nathisuwan, Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Usa Chaikledkaew, Deputy Dean for International and Public Relations, Prof. Dr. Ammarin Thakkinstian, Head of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics and other faculty members.

 

The Development Cooperation Project on Universal Health Coverage (UHC) between Thailand and Kenya aims to support the Kenyan Government to develop a Universal Health Coverage system through sharing Thailand’s experience in implementing the UHC system. The project also provides an opportunity for Thailand to promote its role as a strong advocacy for South - South cooperation and share its strong public health system to help its partners near and far to achieve Sustainable Development Goals.

 

During the visit, Director-General Ureerat and Ambassador Kimwole had the opportunity to listen to the presentations by Ms. Patricia and Ms. Tabitha on their dissertation topics which focus on malaria vaccine management and renal disease management in order to develop effective policy recommendations for the UHC system.

 

In addition, Director-General Ureerat, Ambassador Kimwole and the Board of the Faculty of Pharmacy also discussed possible cooperation in which Kenya can serve as a training hub in Africa to share knowledge and experiences learned from Thailand with other African countries, with the support and assistance from Thai experts and academic institutions.