Prime Minister reaffirms government’s commitment to strict fiscal discipline, pledges accelerated long-term solutions for flooding

Today (28 October 2026) at 9:00 AM at the Grand Diamond Ballroom, IMPACT Forum, IMPACT Exhibition and Convention Center, Muang Thong Thani (Pak Kret District, Nonthaburi Province), Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul, Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, presided over the opening ceremony of the 19th National Health Assembly (2026). The event, themed “A Well-Being Society with Strength: Positive Public Policy Driven by Heart,” featured a keynote address by the Prime Minister titled “Uniting All Sectors Toward a Sustainable Thai Health System.”

During his address at the 19th National Health Assembly, Mr. Anutin emphasized that Thailand continues to uphold strict fiscal discipline, ensuring that public funds are not spent recklessly. He noted that maintaining such discipline provides the necessary budgetary flexibility to manage the country across all dimensions including the ability to promptly carry out relief efforts, such as repairing damaged homes and providing direct assistance to affected households. If we reach a point where we can no longer cope, it would be better to allocate 20–30 billion baht toward establishing a permanent flood-prevention system.

Mr. Anutin stated that this year, the government has approved the “Chai Nat–Pa Sak–Gulf of Thailand” project essentially creating an additional “Chao Phraya River” to channel massive volumes of water directly into the Gulf of Thailand, thereby bypassing the central provinces and Bangkok as much as possible. Regarding the question of how to look after the people affected, we have decided to implement a disaster insurance scheme. From today onward, those impacted by flooding whether through loss of life or damage to homes will receive immediate payouts under this insurance. We have earmarked 15 billion baht for this; if we fail to implement preventive measures, insurance premiums will likely rise next year.

Mr. Anutin added that the remaining funds estimated at over 20 billion baht will be invested in developing highly efficient flood-prevention and irrigation systems. He emphasized that the government is not merely sitting idle and handing out compensation; such an approach would eventually deplete all resources, potentially even encroaching upon the budget for the public healthcare system. Therefore, the government is exercising fiscal discipline to ensure that the budget dedicated to public health remains secure and is not diverted to cover other expenditures.

Photo : Khanisorn Lorthongdaeng