Thai Hospitals To ' Share' Beds For Patients

[webfact]

PUBLIC HEALTH

Hospitals to 'share' beds for patients

Pongphon Sarnsamak

The Nation

Dr Winai Swasdhi-vorn, NHSO secretary-general

Six Bangkok centres join clinics in 29 provinces in rural referral system

BANGKOK: -- In a move to make emergency care more accessible in rural areas, the health ministry and National Health Security Office (NHSO) are teaming up with medical schools and Bangkok hospitals to help set up a patient-referral network.

Certain hospitals in Bangkok and nearby provinces are getting together at the initial stage to provide treatment to patients who need emergency care or suffer from complex conditions.

Authorities are hoping that this new referral system will help resolve the problem of shortage of beds in state hospitals.

The ministry decided to launch the patient-referral system after discovering last year that some 89,778 rural patients had to be transferred to Bangkok for further treatment. Most of the patients were suffering from complications with heart or retinal disorders.

Of the patients, 13,386 were admitted at Rajvithi Hospital, 12,933 at Siriraj Hospital, 8,455 at Ramathibodi Hospital and 7,947 at the Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health.

Dr Sophon Sahamethaphat, permanent secretary for the Public Health Ministry, said six Bangkok hospitals had been designated as patient-referral network centres. The hospitals, namely Siriraj, Chulalongkorn, Rajvithi, Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health, Thammasat University Hospital and Ramathibodi Hospital in addition to the Red Cross Society will oversee the management of patients referred from 29 provinces.

They will also help the hospitals in 29 provinces strengthen their capacity to treat for patients suffering from complicated conditions so they no longer need to transfer them to Bangkok.

Initially though, patients with complications will be treated in Bangkok and moved back to their original hospital once they are out of danger, Dr Narong Sahamethapat, permanent secretary for Public Health Ministry, said.

Meanwhile, Dr Winai Swasdhi-vorn, NHSO secretary-general, said his office would cover the cost of patients who need to be transferred to Bangkok from the provincial hospitals that have joined the cooperation.

Referral zones

Zone 1: Siriraj Hospital will manage patients referred from Ratchaburi, Suphan Buri, Nakhon Pathom, Kanchanaburi, Phetchaburi, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Samut Sakhon and Samut Songkhram hospitals.

Zone 2: Chulalongkorn Hospital and the Thai Red Cross Society will manage patients referred from Rayong, Chon Buri, Chantaburi, Trat, Chachoengsao, Sa Kaew and Prachin Buri.

Zone 3: Rajvithi Hospital, Queen Sirikit National Institute of Child Health and the Thammasat University Hospital will manage patients from Saraburi, Sing Buri, Lop Buri, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Nakhon Nayok and Angthong.

Zone 4: Ramathibodi Hospital will cover patients referred from Nakhon Sawan, Kamphaeng Phet, Phichit, Uthai Thani, Chai Nat, Ayutthaya, and Samut Prakan.

Source: National Health Security Office.

-- The Nation 2012-10-30

[asiawatcher]

Wow that is a staggering number of patient transfers - 90,000 from rural Thailand to the cities. That equates to around 250 per day. Not sure the referral system will work in more efficient use of beds. Seems there needs to be more hospitals. Good luck with it all.

[jerrysteve]

The Referral Network is a very good idea....but the capacity of rooms might be a problem...

[FOODLOVER]

This is why you should always wear clean underwear!

[Payboy]

At this rate they'll be sharing needles soon.

[northernboy]

At this rate they'll be sharing needles soon.

That is a very slow way to solve the problem of too many poor patients.

Or is that called a long term solution to the 30 baht hospital scheme?

[geriatrickid]

I believe the problem is the Length of Stay (LOS) in hospital. Thailand doesn't have palliative and geriatric care facilities. As a result, many of the beds in rural hospitals are occupied by terminal cases with females with cancer over the age of 75 being the key demographic. As well, the concept of visiting public health care nurses which allow the terminally ill or the chronically ill to remain at home is still somewhat foreign. The lack of a proactive healthcare system means that patients will be admitted more often and for longer stays. There was a time in the early 90's when public hospitals were crammed with dying AIDS patients because they had nowhere to go and were often dumped by families. The LOS is also longer in rural Thailand because outpatient care and facilities are rather limited, i.e. personnel and equipment shortages.

Edited October 30, 2012 by geriatrickid

[hellodolly]

Well given the care and attention that they are currently giving to the public hospitals.

I think they will probably find a cure for cancer before they do any thing about the problem.

They currently have a shortage of doctors all their nurses are threatening to walk out their are no plans on the board for up to date hospitals in out lying areas.

They have a system where you pay 30 baht for a appointment to a doctor or hospital but it cost the hospital 50 baht to do the administrative work to handle the 30 baht.

The money for solving all these problems is currently being pocketed by politicians and used to buy rice they can not sell and must spend money to store.

It is time to get a Government that cares about the people. Willing to give them a good education and decent health care. I believe that if they were to do that the people would actually vote for them with out having to be paid.

As is they are spending money to get people to invest in Thailand. A country that does not have enough workers and depends on illegal workers to fill the positions.

[belg]

oh i tought they would dump some poor chap to come lay under your bed or besided you

looooooooooooooooooooooooool

[NoshowJones]

This is why you should always wear clean underwear!

What about not wearing any underwear?

[Artisi]

There are many attractive nurses that could share a bed with me any day.

Edited October 30, 2012 by Artisi

[chooka]

oh i tought they would dump some poor chap to come lay under your bed or besided you

looooooooooooooooooooooooool

Head to Toe

[chooka]

Hang on a minute, weren't they claiming to be the medical HUB and were trying to attract more foreign patients?

[Ricardo]

Double the hospitals' capacity overnight ... install bunk-beds throughout !

[Dap]

This is why you should always wear clean underwear!

LOL! Reply/avatar = couldn't help it!!

[khaowong1]

On the headline i thought if i was sick and was in hospital---share the bed with another fellow--wake up the next day to find a ladyboy next to me!!! oh! so solly!! i watch--ing tee-wee-soap opera--u are handum--where u from?

I was thinking of something similar along those lines, but I wasn't thinking about ladyboys, you pervert. :-)

[stoli]

Hang on a minute, weren't they claiming to be the medical HUB and were trying to attract more foreign patients?

They really are attracting foreign patients. I can attest to that. Before I moved here permenently this year, I was traveling to Thailand for my health care. Sorry to have to admit it, but the care here (Bangkok Heart Hospital) was so superior to what we have in the U.S., and affordable. The difference in cost for open heart surgery? In the U.S. they quoted me $250,000 to $300,000. I came here and had it done for $24,000 US. I was from a town of 50,000 people in the US, and found out afterwards that there were 6 of us in town that had all come to BHH for the same procedure without even knowing each other. I can't praise the hospital here enough for great care.

[chooka]

Hang on a minute, weren't they claiming to be the medical HUB and were trying to attract more foreign patients?

They really are attracting foreign patients. I can attest to that. Before I moved here permenently this year, I was traveling to Thailand for my health care. Sorry to have to admit it, but the care here (Bangkok Heart Hospital) was so superior to what we have in the U.S., and affordable. The difference in cost for open heart surgery? In the U.S. they quoted me $250,000 to $300,000. I came here and had it done for $24,000 US. I was from a town of 50,000 people in the US, and found out afterwards that there were 6 of us in town that had all come to BHH for the same procedure without even knowing each other. I can't praise the hospital here enough for great care.

They are attracting a lot of patients from Australia also, in Melbourne alone there are 49,000 people on waiting lists for surgery so people are coming to places like Thailand where the health system is far superior. The problem with attracting foreigners is that they are chasing the dollar at the expense of locals who really need the services.

[SICHONSTEVE]

At this rate they'll be sharing needles soon.

Don't give them ideas!!!!

[sirchai]

Six Bangkok centres join clinics in 29 provinces in rural referral system

Authorities are hoping that this new referral system will help resolve the problem of shortage of beds in state hospitals.

What about the poorest provinces?------

[sunshine51]

We used to call "sharing beds" in the military Hot Racking.

Just change the sheets...should be OK....maybe.