Paper Title
Study on the Development of International Herbal Hub of Thailand With Good Governance
Abstract
Thailand as a top travel destination Medical Tourism of the world, as recognized by Bloomberg, not only western
medicine, but also Thai traditional and alternative Medicine which play important roles for being the Medical Hub, especially
Thai massage, spa and Thai herb. In order to be Herbal Center of Asia, this research was carried out that aim to propose policies
recommendation for the public sector in order to set up country strategy to be the Center of Thai Herbal Products in this region.
By using method of qualitative research, using literature review, in-depth interview and focus group discussion with experts
who are representatives from public offices involved and stakeholders from private sectors, in order to gather information,
participatory ideas, and comments on key questions and make a conclusion and suggestions on the study issue. The study has
found that there are various situations that hinder the development of Thailand to be the Center of Thai Herbal Products i.e. the
country lack of the law dealing specifically with Thai herbal products, the identity and direction for development that base on
fashion demand. The other problems are the lack of efficient administration and management process, contamination of herbal
raw materials with chemicals, the lack of government agency systematically responsible for the regulation, control,
supervision, and certification of the quality of herbal products. Moreover, there are inadequate numbers of government
officials for products certification. On the demand side, the market and consumption of herbal products is limited to the
consumers who appreciate the value of herbs. The 4 strategic recommendations focus on promoting the country to be 1) the
production sources of chemical contaminant-free herbal materials, 2) the trader of quality herbal products that meet
international standards with efficient administration and management system, 3) the center of comprehensive herbal education
and the fourth recommendation focuses on moral and professional ethics as the basis of worker qualification and promotes the
use of the principles of legitimacy and equality on the legislation and enforcement of the laws in order to equally protect the
rights of all parties concerned. This study also proposes 20 tactics for the implementation that cover the development of all
stakeholders that aim to solve every problem encountered in order to achieve the goal. Details of the study are elaborated in this
research report.
Index Terms— Medical Hub, Herbal Hub, Good Governance, Herbal Strategy,Traditional Medicine, Strategic management.