IntroductionIn Thailand, cardiovascular disease (CVD) has been the leading cause of mortality and disability over the past 10 years, with atherosclerotic CVD (ASCVD), including stroke and ischaemic heart disease (IHD), contributing most to the CVD burden.1 Along with this large disease burden, Thailand’s public healthcare expenditure, which stood at US$19 billion in 2019, allocated the highest budget to CVD prevention and treatment.2 While healthcare spending per capita in Thailand was higher than those of its Southeast Asia (SEA) counterparts (276 in Thailand vs 152 in Vietnam and 112 in Indonesia in 2018), it was still considerably lower than that of advanced Asia Pacific (APAC) economies such as Japan and South Korea.3 Similarly, spending per disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) lost to CVD in 2019 was highest in Thailand (US$109) compared to other SEA countries; yet, it is still not on par with other advanced economies (US$491 in Australia, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan).4 CVD-related expenditure in Thailand may also face threats from growths in oncology spending in the near future, mirroring a similar trend in advanced Asian economies.3