NHSO seeks 9% hike in budget for current year

By The Nation

 

Public Health Minister Dr Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn

 

THE NATIONAL Health Security Office (NHSO) is seeking a Bt193.92 billion budget for the country’s universal healthcare scheme in the 2019 fiscal year.

 

This is an increase of about Bt16.55 billion or 9.3 per cent on the budget approved for the scheme in the ongoing fiscal year. The 2019 fiscal year will start on October 1. 

 

Public Health Minister Dr Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn, who chairs the NHSO board, revealed the figures yesterday. 

 

Piyasakol said the estimated budget has increased because of rising costs – including inflation, soaring medicine prices, higher pay for medical personnel and greater benefits for people covered. 

 

The scheme covers about 48.57 million Thais offering most types of medical services for free. 

 

The NHSO offers its services through participating medical facilities, mostly state hospitals. 

 

The total budget is divided into two main parts: one used as flat-rate per-head subsidy and the other for top-ups for specific health conditions or primary healthcare services. 

 

“Of the estimated budget for the 2019 fiscal year, Bt176.56 billion will be for the per-head subsidy. On average, Bt3,634.82 will be given to participating hospitals per person covered through the universal healthcare scheme – up by 13.7 per cent from the current rate,” Piyasakol said. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30335741

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-01-09

A bit over 3 and half thousand baht per person covered. You would think they would jump at the chance to offer similar coverage to 'visitors' for say 20,000 baht per head per year.

6 hours ago, webfact said:

Piyasakol said the estimated budget has increased because of rising costs – including inflation, soaring medicine prices, higher pay for medical personnel and greater benefits for people covered. 

I thought that an amendment was made in June 2017 to the National Health Security Bill that provided for more and/or higher co-payments for these rising costs.

http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/national/30318419

As such a budget increase shouldn't be required. Clearly a budget increase of 9.3% is far higher than Thailand's Consumer prices that rose 0.78% year-on-year in December of 2017.

https://tradingeconomics.com/thailand/inflation-cpi