'All Thai Hospitals' Back Emergency Care Plan: Minister Witthaya

[webfact]

HEALTH CARE MERGING

'All hospitals' back emergency care plan

Pongphon Sarnsamak

The Nation

Private facilities agree to treat patients from all health schemes, minister says

BANGKOKL -- Private hospitals are willing to join a government plan to provide unlimited emergency medical treatment to all patients regardless of which healthcare scheme they belong to, starting on April 1, according to Public Health Minister Witthaya Buranasiri.

Witthaya said yesterday that he had been discussing the plan with executives of hospitals, including private ones, across the country since March 8. All hospitals had agreed to join the plan, he said.

Dr Suwinai Butsarakramwong, the director of the private Kluay Nam Thai Hospital, said he welcomed the plan.

"The plan will not create an additional burden for the hospital when it comes to managing its services for patients," he said.

Kluay Nam Thai currently accepts patients from the National Health Security Office (NHSO)'s universal healthcare scheme and the Social Security scheme.

"We'll just have to change our procedures a little to adjust the hospital's management system to the plan," he added.

However, he said he had not yet been contacted by any government agency about the plan. The proposal would see all hospitals providing emergency medical treatment - continuing until the patient is well enough to go home - to patients from any of the country's three health care schemes: the NHSO universal healthcare scheme, the Social Security scheme and the Civil Servant Medical Benefit scheme. Later, patients without any coverage would be incorporated into the scheme as well.

He said he is waiting for a final decision from the Private Hospital Association on whether they will join the government plan or not.

Association president Dr Chalerm Hanpanich was unable to respond to questions from The Nation as he is abroad.

Speaking after a meeting at Government House yesterday at which officials discussed ways of reducing inequality in the healthcare system, Witthaya said: "Patients would just show their ID card to hospital staff [at a facility] close to their present location and they will be allowed to receive medical treatment in emergency hours. They will no longer have to worry about the cost of emergency medical treatment. From now on, they will be able to go to any state or private hospital and receive emergency medical treatment. They do not have to pay in advance for any treatment during emergency hours."

The meeting was chaired by Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra and attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Kittiratt NaRanong; Labour Minister Phadermchai Sasomsap; National Health Security Office secretarygeneral Dr Winai Sawasdivorn; Social Security Fund deputy secretarygeneral Dr Suradej Waleeitthikul; and officials from the Comptroller General's Department and other agencies.

Yesterday's meeting designated the NHSO to act as a clearinghouse to pay the cost of emergency medical treatments for patients from all three healthcare schemes.

The NHSO will pay about Bt15,000 for each emergency medical treatment to the hospital concerned. Later, the NHSO will be reimbursed by the patient's healthcare scheme.

"Patients in need of emergency care will be treated at hospitals until they recover and are able to go home," he said.

Until now, emergency room patients have been allowed to stay at the initial hospital for only 72 hours. After that they are transferred to the hospital with which they are registered under their healthcare scheme.

Witthaya said he had asked the Emergency Medical Institute to compile a list of clearly defined emergency medical treatments that will be recognised under the plan.

"We have to make sure that patients are receiving genuine emergency medical treatments," he said.

About 48 million people registered with the NHSO, 10 million are members of the Social Security scheme and 5 million government officials are eligible for Civil Servant Medical Benefit services.

However, he added that about 400,000 people, including temporary government employees and stateenterprise employees, are not covered under any of these three healthcare schemes. The ministry will revise its regulations to allow them to receive emergency medical treatment under the new health care plan, he said.

-- The Nation 2012-03-14

[Jayman]

Wow.. does this include the 30thb heath care plan that most thais are covered under? This sounds too good to be true..

[Card]

And will this include farangs, resident or not, without any insurance at all? And if they do have insurance, will they have to pay from this? In the UK, all emergency treatment is free to whoever needs it, legal or not. Will it be the same here?

[anterian]

And will this include farangs, resident or not, without any insurance at all? And if they do have insurance, will they have to pay from this? In the UK, all emergency treatment is free to whoever needs it, legal or not. Will it be the same here?

It's nice to meet an optimist.