Thai Civil Registration and Vital Statistics and Unique Identification Number Systems for Universal Health Coverage : A Case Study
The Thai civil registration (CR) system was established two centuries ago. Over the past four decades, the system has changed from a manual, paper-based registration system to a centralized, electronic, online system. A unique identification number...
| Main Authors: | , , |
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| Format: | Working Paper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
World Bank, Washington, DC
2019
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/889991570768577260/Thai-Civil-Registration-and-Vital-Statistics-and-Unique-Identification-Number-Systems-for-Universal-Health-Coverage-A-Case-Study http://hdl.handle.net/10986/32545 |
| Summary: | The Thai civil registration (CR) system
was established two centuries ago. Over the past four
decades, the system has changed from a manual, paper-based
registration system to a centralized, electronic, online
system. A unique identification number (UIN) system was
implemented in 1982, along with a computerized CR database
system. The Thai citizen identification card has evolved
along with the two systems from a paper card to an
integrated circuit–chip smart card. All provincial-,
district-, and municipality-level registration offices are
linked online to the central CR system database. Thailand’s
vital statistics (VS) system has improved since 1996, when
the CR system began feeding electronic birth and death data
directly into the VS management system. VS reports are now
up to date, of good quality, and available for use by any
agency that needs them. Thailand declared its universal
health coverage (UHC) policy in 2001. Health insurance
coverage was expanded to all Thais through the Universal
Coverage Scheme. The use of UINs and CR databases has
enabled and facilitated rapid enrollment of beneficiaries
and improved the beneficiary registries of all three of the
country’s major insurance plans. All Thais are entitled to
coverage from one of these plans. The use of UINs and
personal demographic information from the CR system
significantly improved the quality of health care
information and provider payment systems. Misuse of UINs and
personal information in CR is threatening the integrity of
the UIN and central CR databases. New initiatives by the
Thai government, such as the National Digital Identification
Platform project, are ongoing to expand e-government and
private services and to prevent the misuse of personal
information and personal identity challenges. |
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