The Asian Collective For Health Systems will be at Prince Mahidol Award Conference 2026.
Being co-organised by Centre for Social and Economic Progress, International Health Policy Program Foundation and National Health Security Office, we are hosting a side meeting at this year’s PMAC in Bangkok, Thailand.
Governance in the Concrete Jungle: Towards accessible, affordable and inclusive health systems in cities. | SMB217
🗓️ Tuesday, 27 January 2026; 09:00–12:30 hrs
📍 Lotus Suite 10, 22nd Floor, Centara Grand at Central World, Bangkok
👥 Open to all PMAC participants and guests | In-person
Keynote by LALITAYA KONGKAM
Country Presentations by Alok Kumar Singh (India), Thanasak Thumbuntu (Thailand), Minghui Ren (China)
Expert commentary by Sonalini Khetrapal (ADB) , moderated by Neethi Rao. Closing remarks by Dr. Suwit Wibulpolprasert.
Urbanisation is reshaping global demographics, with over half the world now living in cities. While this transformation offers new opportunities, it also deepens health inequities—especially for the urban poor, who face overcrowded living conditions, insecure livelihoods, and limited access to essential services. Despite health improvements, evidence shows growing disparities in health outcomes between the urban poor and other populations. Inadequate healthcare infrastructure and systemic barriers contribute to unequal access, high out-of-pocket spending, and worsening multiple vulnerabilities in urban settings.
This session will explore key issues related to healthcare access for low-income urban households in selected countries across Asia. Specifically, it will focus on:
• How these households seek healthcare
• The financial burdens they face when accessing care
• Geographic barriers that affect access to services
• Structural factors, including governance, that influence healthcare access
Further, the session will review existing policies that alleviate or aggravate such inequities and discuss possible options that policymakers might like to consider to improve the urban health situation both inside and outside of health service systems.
