Thai State Hospitals Face Massive Slash In Earnings

[webfact]

HEALTH PLAN

State hospitals face massive slash in earnings

By Pongphon Sarnsamak,

Chularat Saengpassa

The Nation

State hospitals will likely face a financial crisis if the government goes ahead with its plan to let civil servants use their benefits at private hospitals, according to Public Health Ministry officials.

Based on 2009 figures, state hospitals were given Bt18.2 billion in reimbursement for providing medical services to civil servants.

This source of income will soon have to be shared with the private sector once civil servants can get treated at private hospitals under the Civil Servant's Medical Benefit Scheme (CSMBS).

The plan is being implemented by the Finance Ministry's Comptroller-General Department in a bid to manage the massive cost of providing healthcare to civil servants, which has risen to more than Bt60 billion annually.

The Public Health Ministry's permanent secretary Dr Paijit Warachit said the Comptroller-General Department had consulted him about the plan four months ago.

"It's fortunate that there's been prior consultations," he said, adding that a pilot scheme was currently underway in the province of Phuket.

Director of the state-owned Vachira Phuket Hospital, Dr Jetsada Jongpaiboonpattana, said the Finance Ministry was testing the plan by letting state officials be treated at private hospitals in emergency cases only.

"I think the plan would worsen the financial condition of state hospitals [especially if there's a high ceiling on the amount that they can be reimbursed for]," he said.

For instance, Jetsada said, if state officials are allowed to seek reimbursement for more than Bt10,000 each time they are treated at private hospital, there will be a massive migration of patients from state hospitals.

At present, state hospitals' biggest source of income is the budget allocated for the universal healthcare scheme totalling more than Bt40 billion.

The second biggest source of income is the Bt18.2 billion from reimbursement on medical services provided to civil servants.

Rangsan Sriworasart, director-general of the Comptroller-General Department, said the government would conduct feasibility studies to reform the civil servants' healthcare scheme along with the welfare fund, insurance scheme and co-payment system.

He said the law allowing civil servants to get treated at private hospitals went into effect on October 1, but the government had yet to issue its list of authorised private hospitals.

At least 50 private hospitals have submitted their applications to join the scheme, he said, admitting that the scheme would have a big impact on public hospitals' income.

Under this scheme, there will be an online advance admission system, under which patient admission will be approved within 24 hours. In addition, patients will have to co-pay some expenses such as room rate, food, artificial organs and other special fees.

Jetsada reiterated that many state hospitals would be in financial trouble because their earnings from treating civil servants will be slashed.

At present, the Vachira Phuket Hospital is also shouldering a financial burden of Bt300 million because the Finance Ministry has not reimbursed it for some diagnostics-related items.

Phuket has a lot of private hospitals, but their services are a lot more expensive.

-- The Nation 2010-10-08

[asiawatcher]

So the Govt pay starting salaries between 7-9,000 a month for civil servants but the Govt forks out 18+Bn Baht in medical per year! Wish there was a fringe benefit tax to be had off that!!! Why not swing the money back to the employee, increase their disposable income and let them cover themselves for medical insurance? Talk about ass up!! Then at least the zillions of Thai's will not run to the 'hop-i-ton' every time they have a head ache or cannot sleep.

[TAWP]

Yet again we see the downsides of big governments...

[Thai at Heart]

Name me one country in the world where government employees with government health insurance are allowed to freely have their treatment carried out privately?

Private individuals paying into the social security have to go to government hospitals, how can government employees be privileged over the very people who are PAYING into the system to pay their bills?

This is government insurance, how on earth can it be expected to be used in the private sector. Private insurance is the very antithesis of public insurance and is paid for PRIVATELY.

It would appear that the government can't even grasp the difference between the public and private sector.

WHAT A JOKE.

[evanson]

Phuket has a lot of private hospitals, but their services are a lot more expensive.

Exactly. Here on Phuket people, farang or Thai. have the choice between the Chamber of Horrors that is the Wachira (there is also the Mission, which I am given to understand is state/private, no one ever mentions having been treated there, farang or Thai), and the grasping bastards that are the rest.

There is no other choice on purportedly the most expensive island province in Thailand, with it's many tourists filling it's cash rich coffers every year. It's shameful.

And before we get any 'oh but I had a good experience with the Wachira' posters - go take a look at their 'terminal wards'

Edited October 8, 2010 by evanson