Herbal City Development to increase value of the Thai economy
Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha has inspected the operations of the Thai Traditional Medicine Center at Phana Hospital in Amnat Charoen province, as the Government promotes herbal city development to increase the value of the Thai economy.
The inspection was made during the visit of the Prime Minister and other Cabinet members to Amnat Charoen and Ubon Ratchathani in the Northeast for a field trip and a Cabinet retreat on 23-24 July 2018.
The Phana Thai Traditional Medicine Center has carried out various activities concerning Thai traditional and alternative medicine since 1993. It operates a traditional medicine clinic, produces and sells herbal products, and provides training in traditional medicine.
Regarding the development of Thai herbs, this center operates on a full-cycle basis, covering upstream, midstream, and downstream sectors. It has encouraged members of the local community to grow organic medicinal plants and promoted the use of Thai herbs for public health services.
The Phana Thai Traditional Medicine Center is recognized for its high standards, under the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) guidelines. It is expanding the distribution of its health products more widely, as well as promoting health tourism, in moving toward the goal of developing an herbal city and organic agriculture
The operations of this center are in line with the policy of the Government, which is implementing Thailand’s first Master Plan on Thai Herbal Development, 2017-2021. The master plan seeks to promote Thai herbal products with good potential, develop the country’s herbal industry and market, and encourage the use of herbal plants for medical treatment and health promotion.
The promotion of herbal medicine also aims to reduce the people’s medical expenses and the Government’s production costs for public health services. Thailand has also set a target to become a leading exporter of raw materials for herbal production in the ASEAN region.
The Government is now in the process of developing herbal cities in 13 provinces. The objectives are to increase the value of Thai herbal products to 320 billion baht annually and expand the use of herbal medicine for healthcare in various hospitals and health centers.
source: Travel Daily News
