Thailand hands out vitamin pills, folic acid tablets amidst concerns over declining birth rates

February 15, 2018

Whether by handing cash bonuses or tax incentives, Thailand has almost tried it all to encourage its citizens to have more children. This Valentine’s Day, the country is trying out a new approach: handing out vitamin pills.

Like several other Asian countries, Thailand is ageing rapidly. Birth rates have dropped sharply from more than 6 children per woman in 1960 to 1.5 in 2015, according to World Bank figures.

In Bangkok, health officials handed out folic acid and iron pills in pink boxes at six locations to entice couples to prepare for pregnancy. The pills came with leaflets explaining how to be healthy in order to conceive.

Relationships and sex were previously a taboo subject but attitudes have changed and they are now discussed more publicly. Still, health experts say Thailand will have to talk even more about conception and birth if it wants to boost its population.

Together with China, the country has the highest proportion of elderly people of any developing country in East Asia, World Bank figures show.

The population has peaked and will begin to decrease in 2030, pointing to potential economic problems, such as labor shortages and a smaller base of income tax payers as the working-age population shrinks.

Successive Thai governments have introduced various schemes to encourage baby-making but, like in neighboring Singapore, whose birth rate is amongst the lowest in the world, they haven’t seen much success.

Thailand’s cash bonuses and tax incentives for people with children have done little to boost births but analysts said they weren’t generous enough to prompt Thais to have more children. They didn’t cover the real cost of raising a child, they said.

Thailand’s 2015 birth rate of 1.5 per woman is below 2.6 births in neighboring Cambodia and 2.1 in Malaysia. Health experts say the birth rate needs to be 2.1 to keep a population growing.

‘Magic pills’

Various reasons have been put forward to explain the falling birth rate in Thailand, from higher living costs and work commitments to the shift of the population away from farms, where big families are needed, to urban centers.

Some blame a hugely successful free-condom campaign in Thailand in the early 1990s – aimed at combating HIV/AIDS and which was widely copied around the world – as a factor that has reduced the birth rate.

“From 1970 to 1983 there were an average of 1 million Thais born each year. After that the birth rate began to decline. Now there are just over 700,000 people born each year,” Kasem Wetsutthanon, director of the Metropolitan Health and Wellness Institution, told Reuters.

“At the moment Thai couples are having an average of 1.5 children. Ideally, it should be 2.1 if we are to maintain the population growth,” he said.

Kasem blamed changing attitudes towards the traditional family unit for the declining birth rate.

“Now, many are thinking that it is a burden to have children, unlike in the past when children were important for the family.”

Nalin Somboonying, 27, who has a four-year-old child, said some people feel they need material possessions first before starting a family.

“I think nowadays people want to be ready first. They feel they must have a house, a car, first before having a child,” she told Reuters.

Satta Wongdara, 31, who with his wife picked up some of the pills at a booth in Bangkok’s Lak Si area, blamed long work hours.

“People nowadays work more so they have less children,” Satta told Reuters.

Still, Kasem said he hopes the pills, which he called ‘magic pills’ will get Thais thinking twice about pregnancy.

“We want to get people to have more children.”

(HCA)


Subscribe to Get the Latest Updates from HCA  Please click here


Tags:

Category: Features, Pharmaceuticals

Comments are closed.

Subscribe to HCA for exclusive updates

Top Viewed News

12 simple steps to a healthy lifestyle

12 simple steps to a healthy lifestyle

Now that the world has returned to normalcy following the pandemic, everyone is back to their daily routines and encounters with stress... Read More

AZBIL: Envisioning the Future of Hospitals

AZBIL: Envisioning the Future of Hospitals

As we strive to be the hospital of choice, why not refine our commitment to excellence beyond the pivotal mission of saving lives?... Read More

Study Unlocks Key Findings on Asian Carriers of Breast Cancer

Study Unlocks Key Findings on Asian Carriers of Breast Cancer

Malaysian researchers at Cancer Research Malaysia (CRMY) and the University of Nottingham Malaysia (UNM) have published... Read More

 Unmasking the Risks of Mercury-Laden Cosmetics

Unmasking the Risks of Mercury-Laden Cosmetics

As the saying goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder and thus subjective; but in some countries, the ideal of beauty begins... Read More

5 key hospital etiquettes to be mindful of when visiting a sick patient

5 key hospital etiquettes to be mindful of when visiting a sick patient

In moments of illness, the presence of loved ones can comfort and support. However, it’s important for visitors... Read More

Free counters!

2025 Exhibitions



2025 Events


8-11 May
Vietnam Medi-Pharm
MITEC, KL
www.vietnammedipharm.vn


21-22 May
HealthTechX Asia
Sands Expo & Convention Centre, Singapore
www.healthtechx-asia.com


5-7 June
Medical Taiwan
Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, Taipei, Taiwan
www.medicaltaiwan.com.tw


9-11 June
APHM International Healthcare Conference & Exhibition
KL Convention Centere, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
www.aphmconferences.com


12-14 June
International Health Industry Expo
China
www.ihe-china.com


24-26 June
CPhI China
SNIEC, Shanghai, China
www.cphi.com


25-26 June
Health Facilities Asia
Singapore
www.www.iqpc.com


25-27 June
Japan Health
INTEX Osaka, Japan
www.japanhealthonline.com


26-27 June
OSH India South
Chennai Trade Center, Bangalore
www.oshindia.com


9-11 July
Medical Device Development (MEDIX) – Osaka
Makuhari Messe, Japan
www.manufacturing-world.jp


14-16 July
Lab Asia
Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC), Malaysia
www.lab-asia.com


16-18 July
Medlab Asia | Asia Health
Malaysia International Trade & Exhibition Centre, Kuala Lumpur
www.medlabasia.com


13-15 August
Philippines Medical
SMX Convention Center Manila Philippines
www.philmedical.com


21-23 August
REHACARE China
Suzhou, China
www.rehacare-c.com


21-23 August
Medical Fair China
Suzhou, China
www.medicalfair.cn


3-5 September
Bio Asia Pacific
BITEC, Bangkok
www.bioasiapacific.com


9-12 September
China Dental Show
National Exhibition and Convention Center (Shanghai)
www.chinadentalshow.com


10-11 September
Hospital Management Asia
Shangri-La Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
www.hospitalmanagementasia.com


10-12 September
Medical Fair Thailand
BITEC, Bangkok
www.medicalfair-thailand.com


10-12 September
Malaysia Pharma and Healthcare Expo
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
www.mphcexpo.com


11-13 September
Bio Asia Pacific
BITEC, Bangkok
www.bioasiapacific.com


24-26 September
Medtec China
Shanghai, China
www.en.medtecchina.com


9-11 October
Medical Japan Tokyo
Makuhari Messe, Japan
www.medical-jpn.jp


17-19 October
Health Asia
BITEC, Bangkok
www.health-asia.com


17-19 October
Health Asia
BITEC, Bangkok
www.health-asia.com


7-8 November
Eldercare Exhibition and Conference Asia (ELDEX Asia)
Suntex Singapore Exhibition and Convention Centre
www.eldexasia.com


10-12 November
Saudi International Pharma Expo
Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center
www.saudipharmaexpo.com


10-12 November
Saudi International MedLab Expo
Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Center
www.saudimedlabexpo.com


27-29 November
International Wellness Expo (IWE 2025)
METIC, Malaysia
www.internationalwellnessexpo.com


2026 Events


9-12 Febuary
Arab Health
Dubai World Trade Centre
www.arabhealthonline.com


15-17 April
Lab Indonesia
Jakarta Convention Center, Jakarta, Indonesia
www.lab-indo.com


9-11 September
Medical Fair Asia
Marina Bay Sands, Singapore
www.medicalfair-asia.com


9-11 September
Medical Manufacturing Asia
Marina Bay Sands, Singapore
www.medmanufacturing-asia.com