Bt2,895 per person earmarked for health
Pongphon Sarnsamak
The Nation

BANGKOK: -- The National Health Security Office (NHSO)'s executive board has approved a budget of Bt141 billion for the next fiscal year to provide healthcare services for subscribers and cover medical workers' allowances.

The green light for the next fiscal year stemmed from yesterday's meeting of the NHSO's executive board.

NHSO secretary-general Dr Winai Sawasdivorn said the NHSO was given a budget calculated on Bt2,895.09 per head - or about Bt141 billion - from the government to provide medical services for over 48 million subscribers for the next fiscal year starting from this October.

Last fiscal year, the government allocated Bt2,755.60 per head to provide medical services for subscribers.

The NHSO's executive board has also approved Bt2.94 million to support medical treatment for people living with HIV/Aids; Bt5.1 million for patients with chronic kidney disease; and Bt801 million for health-care prevention programmes for diabetes and high blood pressure.

The board also agreed to provide Bt900 million to improve the efficiency of the health care unit and Bt3 billion for medical workers' additional allowances.

Under the Bt2,895.09 per head, Bt1,056.96 is allocated to support medical services for in-patients and Bt271.33 for health-care promotion and prevention schemes. Some Bt383.61 will support the medical rehabilitation programme and Bt8.19 per head is for traditional medicine; Bt128.69 per head goes to the health care unit's maintenance.

The executive board has okayed Bt3.32 for compensation of patients who affected by medical errors and Bt0.10 for medical workers. Of the Bt3 billion allocated for additional allowances for medical workers, Bt2 billion will go to additional allowanc-es based on remoteness and risk areas of medical workers, and Bt1 billion will be based on the pay-for-performance system (P4P).

Winai said the NHSO's budgetary allocations were based on needs and efficiency of public health services.

Meanwhile, Public Health Minister Pradit Sinthawanarong said he has instructed the NHSO's financial development sub-panel to monitor the efficiency of NHSO's budget management.


-- The Nation 2013-07-16

That may be the starting figure on paper BUT how much will finally end up in the system ?

Big budgets like this only mean prizes for all.

That's right NongKhaiKid. The only amount that counts is the amount actually dispersed for medical equipment or medical services. It would be very interesting to know the difference between the budget amount and the actual amount later spent in the medical system "properly." Let's say te skim is probably 40% or so maybe more.

That's not much unneeded pills.

Bt2.94 million to support medical treatment for people living with HIV/Aids; Bt5.1 million for patients with chronic kidney disease.........

surely that's a misprint - should it not be Billion

BT2.94 million ? the price of a small house ?

How much of this will reach out to the smaller villages where there is no hospital.

Will I be able to quit paying the 1,000 baht a month I have to pay for my mother in law in her later 80s to get a much needed shot.

Will any of it go to help the aging population with walkers and wheel chairs when needed?

How about western toilets. I had to install one in my mother in laws as she could no longer squat.

Or will a lot of the money like the states go into diagnostic equipment in the denser populated areas there by taking away from some of the bare needs.

How much of this will reach out to the smaller villages where there is no hospital.

Will I be able to quit paying the 1,000 baht a month I have to pay for my mother in law in her later 80s to get a much needed shot.

Will any of it go to help the aging population with walkers and wheel chairs when needed?

How about western toilets. I had to install one in my mother in laws as she could no longer squat.

Or will a lot of the money like the states go into diagnostic equipment in the denser populated areas there by taking away from some of the bare needs.

Hellodolly, I suppose in your home country hospitals are everywhere?

The smallest village has a hospital?

In many towns in Thailand are state hospitals catering for the poor, and rich.

They all pay 30 baht.

About your M.I.L., did you apply for the state "pension".

It is only 800 baht, but did you?

The result would be you only pay 200 baht.

But I wonder why you have to pay 1000 baht, while the going rate is 30 baht?

Walkers and wheelchairs for the aging population.

There are possibilities to get equipment, including wheelchairs and walkers, on permanent loan..

A western toilet in your own house, I heard whisperings there are possibilities to get a basic toilet installed in your own house.

Check around.

There are funds for this!

Indeed, healthcare in Thailand will be concentrated in bigger towns, this is necessary to manage the costs.

On the other hand, many state hospital are opening annexes in smaller towns for GP care.

Or opening small clinics.

Anyway, is your MIL registered in the nearest state hospital?

Your wife?

Ad what about you, are you registered?

Registration is necessary, even for you (if you have a yellow tambien baan)!

"The executive board has okayed Bt3.32 for compensation of patients who affected by medical errors"

Is this an acknowledgement that the delivery of health care is somehow not up to acceptable standards (like the death of a boy from dengue fever diagnosed with a peptic ulcer)? First, someone has to recognize malpractice and then second someone has to report it, both steps are unlikely. Also, the legal limit for compensation is only 400,000 baht for a death via malpractice and bodily harm rewards go down from there and takes years to litigate. This is a backhanded admittance of a country wide medical system of incompetent medical personnel.

will this money go to the right place?

will this money go to the right place?

Not likely