Thailand
Total Treatment Sites:		1
Treatment Site Location(s):		Center of Hope, Lop Buri Province
Patients on ART:		223
Patient Enrolled:		333
Report in PDF Format:		Thailand Country Report

Background & HIV/AIDS in Thailand

Thailand, which is roughly the size of France, is a middle-income country that has made remarkable human development progress in the past twenty years.  Poverty was reduced from 27% in 1990 to 9.8% in 2002 (United Nations, 2009).  Life expectancy is 68 years for men and 75 years for females and the adult literacy rate is 94%.  The population is relatively homogenous and more than 85% speak a dialect of Thai and share a common culture.  About 32% of the population is urban and mostly based in the Bangkok area, while the rest of the population is concentrated in the rural rice-growing areas of central, northern, and northeastern Thailand (US State Department).

Thailand is one of the world’s few countries recognized as having prevented the spread of HIV/AIDS through effective public policy.  Still, AIDS is a leading cause of death and the adult prevalence rate is 1.4%. 

Though the first case of AIDS in Thailand occurred in1984, it was not until the 1990s, under Prime Minister Anand Panyarachun, that AIDS prevention became a national priority and massive public information campaigns were launched.  Efforts to increase condom use in sex establishments were particularly successful. 

Today, the majority of HIV infections occur through heterosexual sex (USAID, 2005) and young people, having missed out on the extensive HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns of the 1990s, are becoming a primary risk group as STI transmission and high-risk sexual behavior increase.  Men who have sex with men (MSM) account for one-fifth of all HIV infections and IDU, migrant workers, and sex workers are also considered high risk groups. 

The Thai government has provided antiretroviral drugs (ARVs) to people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) since 2000 and has remained committed to addressing the AIDS crisis.  For example, in 2006, despite potential trade repercussions, Thailand bravely issued compulsory licenses and broke patents in order to produce generic second line ARVs, thereby treating more patients and saving more lives.

AHF Activities in Thailand

In Thailand, AHF partners with the Lop Buri Provincial Government and the Dramaraksa Foundation to provide antiretroviral therapy (ART) to people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) at the Center of Hope, 75 miles north of Bangkok.  The clinic is located on the grounds of Wat Phrabatnampo, Thailand’s world-renowned AIDS temple.  In this model, Dramaraksa Foundation provides the clinic space and the Lop Buri Provincial Government covers drug and laboratory costs.  AHF provides technical assistance and supervision to assure compliance with government guidelines for ART provision. 

Models of Care

Technical Assistance

Training