Dr. Haruka Sakamoto, Senior Manager at Health and Global Policy Institute (HGPI), participated as a speaker in the PMAC 2026 side event “SMB212: Unboxing Healthy Ageing in Thailand,” held in Bangkok on 26 January 2026. The event was co-organized by the Ministry of Public Health of Thailand and the WHO Country Office for Thailand, and aimed to foster dialogue on promoting healthy ageing in Thailand through the sharing of international experiences, including those from Japan.

During the session, Dr. Sakamoto shared Japan’s experience in responding to rapid population ageing, with particular focus on the long-term care insurance system, community-based integrated care, and workforce arrangements. She highlighted the importance of assessing older persons’ medical, care, and living needs in a comprehensive manner and building community-based systems that support ageing populations in a coordinated way, offering perspectives that may be adaptable to the Thai context and beyond.

The session featured an active question-and-answer segment, with participants raising practical questions related to local implementation, workforce development, and system design, leading to rich and constructive discussions.

HGPI remains committed to contributing to global health dialogue and action on population ageing and other pressing challenges through international collaboration and knowledge sharing.