Thai Healthcare System Deteriorating, Academics Warn

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Healthcare system deteriorating, academics warn

The Nation

Minister rapped for poor oversight of NHSO

With five months having passed and the National Health Security Office’s "gold card" universal care programme showing little progress, the scheme may have reached a point of deterioration, academies said yesterday.

The comments came as Public Health Minister Witthaya Buranasiri ordered an urgent meeting of the NHSO Board today. It plans to appoint 217 outsiders as members of 13 subcommittees.

Health Security Academics' Network coordinator Dr Arak Wongworachat expressed concern yesterday over the universal health-care scheme, which he said had worked well over the past decade to give people's access to medical care, by continuously improving and effectively controlling its budget until it was praised as a good example for other countries.

Arak said that since Witthaya chaired the new NHSO board five months ago, it had only met twice and approved just two out of 10 proposed agendas. The approved agendas were the KPI assessment 2011 and acknowledging results of last year's survey of subscribers' satisfaction. Eight other important matters had not been concluded.

This compared poorly to Pinij Jarusombat's health administration, which had eight board meetings in five months and approved 22 agendas, including the E-service system and an emergency services' budget, and Chalerm Yoobumrung's health administration, which had two board meetings in two months and passed five agendas.

Meanwhile, an informed source said Witthaya ordered the NHSO board meeting to be held today instead of the previously scheduled February 6. Matters to be discussed include the appointment of 13 sub-panels, which would have a total of 217 members. The 13 subcommittees would be a major change for the "gold card" system's policy-making mechanism, as most of the finance subcommittee would come from the Bureau of Budget and medical institutes' representative. The previous panel was made up of representatives from various service units, as well as subscribers' and local bodies' representatives.

President of the Rural Doctors Club Kriangsak Watcharanukulkiat said the selecting of only "orderable" people who lacked experience about the health system and the refusal to allow patients' and local bodies' to participate would cause the "gold card" system to deteriorate and collapse. This was the second phase of an alleged plot against the "gold card" system, which aims to weaken the system, so interested parties fight over NHSO funds, and lead to a larger budget being proposed in next fiscal year, he said.

But the group and its allies would not let politicians and commercial medicine destroy the system that the late NHSO chief Dr Sanguan Nitayarumphong had built. The health ministry must be responsible for this "black-bow masterpiece", he said.

-- The Nation 2012-01-24

[OzMick]

Public Health Minister Witthaya Buranasirimanaged to keep his post - are laziness and incompetence desirable traits in a Minister of a PTP govt?

[ding]

WARNING: Don't let commercial medicine run your government!

-US citizen

[wxyz]

But the WHO says it is perfect?

World Urged To Follow Thai Healthcare Model

http://www.thaivisa....el/page__st__50

Edited January 28, 2012 by wxyz

[z12]

http://willapse.hubp...ngerous-Animals Edited January 29, 2012 by z12

[citizen33]

Some people do not understand that the positive assessment of the WHO and international experts is one thing and the Government moves to change the NHSO Board is another.

http://www.thaivisa....81#entry5012281

Edited February 1, 2012 by citizen33