The situation of an implementation of the Control of Marketing Promotion of Infant and Young Child Food Act. BE. 2560 by the Department of Health’s offificers at the regional health level in 2018

Abstract

This study aimed to explore the situation of the implementation at the regional level of the Control of Marketing Promotion of Infant and Young Child Food Act. B.E.2560 (A.D. 2017), or Milk Act, after its first year of enactment on 8th September 2017. This is a mixed-method study obtaining data by focus group and semi-structured interview. The demographic data of participants were also collected by a self-administered questionnaire. A total of 35 participants were health personnel working in 12 Regional Health Centers and the Metropolitan Health and Wellness Institution, Department of Health, Ministry of Public Health. They were the responsible people for the implementation of the Milk Act in designated areas. Three main findings from this study included 1) resources for the implementation was limited and a great number of assigned responsible person was not appointed to be competent officer stated by the law; 2) the processes to implement the law were still vague and responsible persons tended to apply existing mechanism for the implementation of law; and 3) the output in the first year of its enactment focused mainly on policy translation and communication to provincial-level health officers, through meeting and workshops. This study recommended that the Department of Health should revise the Ministerial Notification on the appointment of competent officers to cover all responsible persons working at every level. Also, public communication should be established with an opportunity for the general public to participate, as well as the development of a modern surveillance system. Additionally, executive directors of Regional Health Centers of the Department of Health should set up univocal plans for implementation of the law at the regional level as well as the monitoring system.