"Dr. Joe," nicknamed "Dr. Joe the Bone Setter," is the prime ministerial candidate and number one on the party-list MP candidates for the Thai Ruam Thai Party (TRT), number 55. He is asking for a chance to bring new blood into parliament, focusing on three main policy areas.
On 17 Jan, reporters reported that the Thai Ruam Thai Party (TRT) launched its 2026 election campaign, led by Mr. Sophon S. Budo-in, also known as "Dr. Joe" or "Dr. Joe the Bone Setter," the prime ministerial candidate and top party-list MP candidate for Thai Ruam Thai Party, number 55.
The party's main strategic policy is to reduce redundancy to ensure sustainable welfare, targeting reforms in public health, education, and digital infrastructure, aiming to save hundreds of billions of baht in the national budget to return money to the people.
Mr. Sophon said the main approach to tackling the country's major problem is the redundancy in the bureaucracy that causes budget leakage. The party plans to gradually reduce redundancy to avoid resistance from public officials, while immediately reallocating saved funds to enhance necessary services. The policy focuses on three key economic and social areas as follows.
1. Healthcare: medicines 20% cheaper and immediate free treatment.
- Centralized medicine procurement model changes from individual hospitals buying separately to national-level collective purchasing.
- The remarkable figure is that with a national medicine budget of about 200 billion baht, a 20% reduction would save 40 billion baht—enough to immediately provide quality free healthcare welfare to the public.
2. Education: Fast Track graduation to save parents money and reduce inequality for gifted children ready to advance faster than their peers.
- Accelerate advancement for gifted students, supporting them to skip grades and reduce primary and secondary education duration to a total of six years.
- The result is that parents will save over 80 billion baht in expenses, while the state will gain highly skilled workers entering the system sooner, generating more than 100 billion baht in additional tax revenue.
- Online combined learning reduces redundancy in the Ministry of Education through a standardized online learning system, allowing the remaining budget to be used as scholarships for free education.
- High-capacity workforce: the country gains skilled workers six years earlier, who are top-tier talents with high market value immediately suitable for in-demand jobs.
- New workers contribute to social security funds, ensuring sustainability of national welfare budgets, increasing tax revenue and GDP, thus automatically ending the country's economic decline loop.
3. Free Internet: ending internet costs with 60 satellites.
- Low earth orbit satellites with a budget investment of 150 billion baht (compared to the 500 billion baht spent on cash handouts that lasted only three months) will launch 60 satellites.
- Free nationwide internet service will be provided permanently, with the ability to sell signals to neighboring countries, generating additional national income.
- High-speed satellite internet will also enhance state security for disaster warnings, emergency use, and military security requiring a dedicated closed network.
Mr. Sophon added that the Thai Ruam Thai Party proposes consolidating government IT systems into a single system (One Country One Application), where all ministries are linked, allowing a single login to access all applications. Citizens would no longer need to enter redundant information and can conduct online transactions anywhere, from government centers to the land department, ending the problem of waiting in queues in the old bureaucratic system.
Mr. Sophon reiterated that the party proposes a unified government IT system (One Country One Application) with integrated data among ministries. A single login will allow access to all apps, so citizens won't have to repeatedly fill in information and can transact online anywhere, from government centers to the land department, putting an end to queueing in the traditional bureaucracy.
"I am sending new blood into parliament to change the mindset in managing the country. Vote for number 55, Thai Ruam Thai Party, to elect real workers who will solve problems at their root," said Mr. Sophon.