Page 26 - Social Enterprise A New Business Paradigm for Thailand
P. 26
2) Explore the feasibility of creating social enterprise models for local hospital
procurement
ThaiHealth should conduct a feasibility study and develop social enterprise business
models that enable community members and the elderly to participate in producing
goods and services for local hospitals. Examples include:
• Manufacturing staff uniforms or patient garments
• Preparing local dishes suitable for hospital patients, such as Northern Thai-style chili
dips or salads, which often use finely pounded vegetables. These foods are easy to
chew and align with the local dietary preferences of elderly patients.
Once feasible and suitable product or service lists have been identified, these should be
assigned to interested social enterprises to take forward into implementation.
In doing so, community health volunteers (Aor Sor Mor) can be engaged as local anchors
to help identify and collaborate with social enterprises in each community.
3) Commission suitable organizations to review and assess existing university health
research
ThaiHealth should hire qualified organizations to analyze existing health-related research
conducted by Thai universities to determine which studies have the potential for business
or social impact. The goal is to identify promising research that can be commercialized or
applied socially through further development and implementation.
4) Utilize Thai Health Academy or other social organizations to support disability-focused
development
• Train people with disabilities in proposal writing so they can access funding from the
national disability fund, which remains underutilized despite its large size.
• Conduct market studies to understand the needs of people with disabilities, who
currently represent an underserved or entirely unserved market. These insights should
be used to identify suitable business models, whether operated by general social
enterprises or enterprises led by persons with disabilities.
5) Develop a road accident relief fund in collaboration with automakers, insurance
companies, and the Department of Land Transport
These organizations collectively manage budgets exceeding 150 billion baht and could
play a key role in supporting the emergence of social entrepreneurs or mission-driven
organizations focused on accident prevention, particularly among youth. Possible
initiatives include:
xix

