Thai NHSO launches homegrown rubber prosthetic fistula, expects 540 million baht savings

webfact · August 2, 2023

Moving towards medical self-sustainability while concurrently conserving expenses, Thailand’s National Health Security Office (NHSO) has come up with an innovative solution.

The NHSO has launched a new, locally made prosthetic fistula prepared from natural rubber for those participating in the Universal Healthcare (UHC) programme, also commonly referred to as the “gold card” scheme. This new initiative aims at reducing the medical budget, potentially saving over 540 million baht.

A visit was made by Athaporn Limpanylers, the deputy secretary-general of the NHSO, to inspect these fistulas that would be provided to UHC participants in Yala and Songkhla. The inspection took place over two days, from July 18 to 19.

This prosthetic fistula’s creation was spearheaded by the National Research Council of Thailand (NRCT) and was brought to Athaporn’s attention by Worawit Wanichsuwan, the leading research expert at the Medical Institute of Prince of Songkla University (PSU). The process, which used natural rubber sourced from the country’s southern region, took approximately six years to complete. Worawit points out that the decision to use the south’s natural rubber was a direct consequence of the compatibility of the regional environment and climate.

by Mitch Connor

Photo courtesy of Bangkok Post.

Full story: https://thethaiger.com/news/national/thai-nhso-launches-homegrown-rubber-prosthetic-fistula-expects-540m-baht-savings

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