Kultida Samabuddhi
Kultida Samabuddhi, a journalist with the Bangkok Post, attended a Thomson Reuters Foundation 'Reporting HIV/AIDS' workshop in Bangkok, in November 2008. He reports on a panel session there with his country's controversial former public health minister. Any opinions are those of the writer and not of Thomson Reuters.
THAILAND: 'No regrets over cheap AIDS drugs' - ex-health chief
Two years after he outraged drugs manufacturers by overriding their patents and ordering compulsory licensing of three life-saving drugs, former Thai Public Health Minister Mongkol Na Songkhla insists it was the right decision. After taking the most controversial steps in the history of the Public Health Ministry, the 66-year-old former rural doctor was bombarded by criticism from pharmaceutical giants and heavy pressure from trade agencies here and abroad. ...
