Thai Healthcare Schemes May Be Merged

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MEDICAL WELFARE

Healthcare schemes may be merged

Pongphon Sarnsamak

The Nation

If plan goes ahead, people living with HIV/Aids can get treatment

The government will merge its three national schemes to provide medical treatment and services to people living with HIV/Aids from October 1 onward, so patients have access to the same drugs and treatment anywhere in the country.

This plan will be proposed to Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra at a meeting being held next Thursday to find a way to offer equal benefits under all state healthcare schemes, Dr Sorakij Bhakeecheep said.

Dr Sorakij manages the National Health Security Office's Fund of HIV/Aids and tuberculosis.

He was speaking at the national conference to announce the strategic plan to prevent HIV/Aids in 2012 to 2016 that has been organised by the Public Health Ministry, Civil Society Network on HIV/Aids prevention and other related agencies.

To date, there are about 481,770 people living with HIV/Aids and the Public Health Ministry estimates that new infections would total about 10,097 cases per year.

He said merging the three national health care schemes, namely the National Health Security Office, Social Security Office and the Civil Servant Medical Benefit, would allow patients to be treated anywhere in the country regardless of which scheme they belong to. Under this plan, all healthcare schemes will provide the same treatment to people living with HIV/Aids and will share each patient's medical records.

Additionally, they will also allow people living with HIV/Aids to receive treatment and drugs at all medical units and hospital registered under these three healthcare schemes.

"We are now talking about how we can merge the management of each healthcare fund together in relation to people living with HIV/Aids so they have continuous access to drugs and treatment," he said, adding that the plan had not been finalised yet.

"If the prime minister agrees with this idea, we will go ahead," he said.

Sorakij said he would also ask the meeting to revise the regulations of these three healthcare schemes, allowing them to merge the management of their budgets.

However, he said, over the past 10 years, the government had not provided additional budget support for the HIV/Aids prevention programme and that most of the money was allocated to the treatment.

Supatra Nakhaphiew, chairperson of a group for people living with HIV/Aids, said the plan should also provide healthcare benefits for migrant workers who have registered with the Interior Ministry and those who pay for state healthcare coverage in a bid to reduce the number of new infections.

-- The Nation 2012-06-15