Two MPPM students present at the IRSPM conference
Mr Pakin Kawelungka, Pipo (left) and Miss Jeerawan Tanaoun, Gina (right).
At the conference, Mr Kawelungka and Miss Tanaoun presented the major obstacles faced by the Thai government during the dissemination of COVID-19 vaccines to the Thai population.
At a panel by the Special Interest Group on Healthcare Management in the annual International Research Society for Public Management (IRSPM) Conference held on 20 April, Miss Jeerawan Tanaoun Gina and Mr Pakin Kawelungka Pipo, both students from the Master of Public Policy and Management (MPPM) programme, gave a presentation on how the Thai government managed its COVID-19 vaccination programme. The theme of the IRSPM conference was: ‘Facing the future: Evolving social-political-administrative relations and the future of administrative systems’.
In their presentation paper, “COVID-19 vaccines provision and governance in the time of crisis: A lesson from Thailand”, the EdUHK pair examined how the Thai government tackled the COVID-19 pandemic and the difficulties it faced during the provision of free COVID-19 vaccines to its citizens. Chaired by Assistant Professor Stefano Calciolari at the University of Italian Switzerland, the conference panel and audience praised Gina and Pipo for offering a fascinating summary about how the pandemic and relevant vaccination programme were managed in Thailand. They encouraged the pair to pursue a further comprehensive study to reveal more details about these research topics.
Both Pipo and Gina are awardees of the Full Entrance Scholarship offered by the MPPM programme at the Department of Asian and Policy Studies. The programme aims to equip students with sound knowledge in policy science, management, and policy analytics, and prepares them to take up leading roles in policy analysis and professional policy practice. Gina was delighted to have the opportunity to participate in the IRSPM conference, where she used her knowledge and research skills learnt in the programme to carry out a study about public health management in Thailand, as well as the country’s public administration in general. She believes the conference provided her with a valuable experience that will aid her future academic pursuits.
