Organised by the Thai Ministry of Public Health, National Cybersecurity Agency (NCSA), Thai Medical Informatics Association (TMI), Health Systems Research Institute (HSRI) and the World Health Organization (WHO), as part of the WHO Country Cooperation Strategy (WHO-CCS) priority programme on “Converge Digital Health”, this side meeting at PMAC 2025 showcased Thailand’s journey with cybersecurity.
The session highlighted several lessons from Thailand on implementing cybersecurity. Initiatives such as having courses for mid-managers on cybersecurity; setting up emergency responses at provincial levels; the need for collaboration with the private sector, particularly through universities; and the importance of having an institution dedicated towards cybersecurity, among others were raised. Trust in the system is a key consideration for strengthening cybersecurity. Incidents such as hospital data leaks can be a catalyst for change and can spur action. If this issue remains important to the general public, it can facilitate political support. Increasing organisational awareness, implementation of healthcare-specific cybersecurity standards, and training of non-IT staff in hospitals were mentioned, and the importance of the tone of management on the topic was emphasised.
Global experiences, including perspectives from Australia, Kyrgyzstan, Sri Lanka, the Global Fund, GIZ, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the World Bank, WHO, highlight that there is a skill gap in cybersecurity and for many low-and-middle-income countries, there is a need for global public goods to assist with strengthening health systems for the digital age. Ministries of health can work closely with ministries of information and communications technology, to build on existing infrastructure. Establishing ISO standards for cybersecurity is an important starting point for cybersecurity initiatives. The role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in monitoring risks early in the process was noted and the importance of vulnerability testing and audits was stressed. South-south collaboration and the role of networks for learning and sharing experiences were also mentioned.
Governments were called on to lead the charge in addressing cybersecurity as it is a matter of national security. Importantly, there is a need for a culture change and Dr. Alain LaBrique urged the audience to “become evangelists” of cybersecurity, as “being a citizen in a non-digital world is different from being a citizen in a non-digital world”.
Link: https://pmac-2025.com/activity/57/sidemeetingOnsite/detail
Acknowledgments
This blog was prepared by Saudamini Dabak from the Health Intervention and Technology Assessment Program Foundation (HITAP) as part of the WHO-CCS Converge Digital Health Secretariat; Mark Landry, WHO Thailand, and Dr. Surakameth Mahasirimongkol, Director of the Department of Thai Traditional and Alternative Medicine at the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH).
