Prayut denies planning to abolish free healthcare to save money for buying submarines

[sawadee1947]

It's always nice to have new submarines.....to watch the underwater world. Or for what they need these toys...?

[Eric Loh]

Well, I did my research and there is no plan to scrap the Heathcare scheme.

Obviously I think a proper Heath Care scheme important as well as a scheme which offers 'affordable' healthcare. Unlike some I don't care about the name '30 Baht' scheme as that just reminds me it costs 80 Baht to administer.

BTW Did I hear you advocate the UK drops their new shiny aircraft carriers as surely that would help keep the NHS affordable? Anything on Cambodia removing it's troops along the border so Thailand can abolish it's army? An appeal to the UN so Thailand can save money? Should Thailand be brave and just abolish it's Armed Forces to shame the other countries?

And here Rubl goes trying to change the subject......

and here goes smutcakes bending the truth.

A poster here states PM Prayut will scrap the Heath Care scheme another tells there's money for 260 feet diving subs and I'm changing the subject?

Topic title "Prayut denies planning to scrap free health care to save money for subs". Even you wrote to me that these is room for increased spending. So why all the obsession with subs? Just people trying to position the Prayut government is as bad light as possible even if it means bending the truth a bit?

There are arguments for and against the military viability of submarines for the RTN. There are arguments for and against the 30 baht health care scheme - should it be free, maintained, increased, abolished; should the spending on health be increased and if so by how much.

These are not the only two items in the Thai budget. Submarines are not the only items for consideration in military expenditure.

The previous government were secretive with budgets and issued conflicting figures, especially concerning their vaunted self financing rice scheme. Very large sums of money seem unaccounted for, either by sloppy accounting or desire.

The current government have many issues to address including the budget and public spending. Linking two items together is far to simplistic but is being done to try and show the current government in a poor light. Many people believe what they are told - the health care money is being used to buy subs, Yingluck and Thaksin did nothing wrong, the UDD support democracy.

Remember when the lovely Yingluck wanted to buy 4 new passenger planes for exclusive use by her family government. So they could all fly about wherever and whenever they wanted, free, in total secrecy, and do as they pleased? Wonder if that money was going to come from health, education or rice scams?

BB, tamper your exuberance with some pointers. The budget for 2016 has already being finalized in April '15. No budget for submarines when tabled. The military has got a big budget approval and the submarines only need cabinet approval. I think the submarines are a done deal with the Chinese in a package with other stuffs.

There are no secret budgets too with previous government. Falsehood here. Parlimentary system required by law to have budget openly debated in Parliment.

Wrong again for 4 planes for government. Quarter of that money for a new plane for the Royal family. By the way, the planes didn't get off the ground and was aborted due to cabinet immobilized by the chaos.

[JAG]

Most countries in Europe that are much more rich than Thailand don't have submarines ...

Why does Thailand need submarines?

Any idea? I really don't see any logic in it.

They don't "need" them. Elements within the ruling junta "want" them.

Whether or not they get what they want depends on just how great a threat to the leadership of the junta they are deemed to be.

It will reveal exactly where the matelots stand in the scheme of things.

[Shawn0001]

Buying subs, same as the aircraft carrier, that now they call a helicopter carrier. !! Toys for the boys !!

Total waste of money Thailand has no need of subs.

i don't want to put you down. BUT we don't really know, do we.

We don't know anything about there country's security policy.

Well, we do know they are in the UN and have been designated a Major Non-NATO Ally. Is there really any need for one of the poorer states within the UN who are also allied to NATO to overspend on the military?

[Baerboxer]

Definitions

verb (transitive)

1. to remove (a door, gate, etc) from its hinges
2. to derange or unbalance (a person, his or her mind, etc)
3. to disrupt or unsettle (a process or state of affairs)
4. (usually followed by from) to detach or dislodge

He might have a different view than yours - but that doesn't mean he's unhinged anymore than you are. In fact, forum rules prohibit call other posters stupid or mentally disturbed in some way just because they have a different view. If you don't like the rules feel free to leave.

How was ExPratt's post a metaphor btw? If was a statement to which a poster replied. The last government has been shown to be a owned and controlled by Thaksin through his sister as a proxy or puppet. It's true that the poorest farmers were excluded from the scheme allegedly designed to help the poor. The World Bank also report that very little of the money from the scheme benefited the poor farmers who were allowed to join. Where did it all go?

Hang in there, you will get your dream vocation as a moderator one day, but before you judge a comment learn to interpret what the person is insinuating. For the record, unhinged has many meanings, i.e. confused, beside oneself, agitated, anxious, bothered, carried away, distraught, distressed, frantic, hysterical, overwrought, rattled, shook up, upset and worked up to name a few that is appropriate to his comments. Nowhere did I indicate he was stupid or mentally disturbed in some way as you put it. If I had I would have used the appropriate term. Maybe you have doubts about his disposition yourself, for it is you who intermediately conjured up something more sinister.

Metaphor - Implied comparison.

Anyway, all said and done, ExPratt answered him quite correctly and adequately.

Synonyms View thesaurus entry

= unbalance, confuse, derange, disorder, unsettle, madden, craze, confound, distemper, dement, drive you out of your mind

met·a·phor

ˈmedəˌfôr,ˈmedəˌfər/

noun

1. a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable.

   "“I had fallen through a trapdoor of depression,” said Mark, who was fond of theatrical metaphors"

   synonyms: figure of speech, image, trope, analogy, comparison, symbol, word painting/picture

   "the profusion of metaphors in her everyday speech has gotten pretty tiresome"

   • a thing regarded as representative or symbolic of something else, especially something abstract.

     "the amounts of money being lost by the company were enough to make it ametaphor for an industry that was teetering"

     You knew what you really meant of course. Only trying to help the afflicted.

[Shawn0001]

At least Thaksin did something for the people

Well propaganda from marxist side.... If Taksin do something why Isaan remains the poorest region thailand ?

Why during YL regime no poor farmer receive payment of their rice crop ? Why only landlords proxy to his camp receive benefit from rice scheme ?

Why Taksin not use is personal fortune for help poorest area of Thailand ? Why Taksin and is camp use vote buying ?

Why he want to transform a constitutional monarchy to fascist dictatorship “republic” under Thaksin Shinwatra rules ?

hahahahahahaha , he's a fascist is he. I recall him winning via elections not military take overs. Actually the poor's lot did improve vastly since he first took power. have a look and don't let your obvious hatred for the man get in the way of FACTS

Would you like to quantify the "vast improvements" Thaksin achieved for the poor? Certainly threw some things their way but broke many promises. However, he did achieve a very vast improvement in his and his families fortunes during the same period which he happily bragged about to Forbes.

The last Thaksin government aka the Yingluck puppet regime was more concerned with passing laws to whitewash his crimes, and their own, and get their hands on a mega amount of money without the usual checks and balances. Fascist, possibly but certainly a wannabee dictator. He started off admiring Singapore and the Lee family and wanted to emulate them. Somehow he seemed to loose any semblance of morality and ethics and was behaving more like Mugabe or Hun Set his eternal friend.

Thaksin, left to his own devices would bleed Thailand dry and turn it into a Shin autocracy. The opposition are careful not to bleed too much but stave off as much change and development as they can, unless it's to their benefit. Nepotism, corruption, patronage, hierarchy are alive and well - just the thieving is not so blatant in you face, and the lies a little less ludicrous than PTP.

"Would you like to quantify the "vast improvements" Thaksin achieved for the poor?"

Universal health care, micro managed development funds, low interest agricultural loans and the SML scheme, all helped raise Isaans average earnings by 46% and remove 10% of the population of Thailand from poverty. Under Thaksin, there was a fiscal surplus, the stock market boomed, public debt fell by 15% and foreign exchange reserves doubled. He provided universal access to anti-retro virals, saw 96% of the population have access to free health care, and provided access to health care for 2.3 million migrant workers.

Now, perhaps you would like to quantify the damage he did? I could, but I want to see if you can or if all you have is unsubstantiated rhetoric you have heard from the opposition.

Your statement about the opposition being careful not to bleed off too much is not evidenced by the Gini coefficient which shows inequality as falling from 0.525 to 0.499 under Thaksin while rising under the opposition. So please explain exactly what you are referencing, or did you just make that up?

I really hated Thaksin, but as time has passed I have grown to appreciate the good things that he did do, I am not sure that they outweigh the bad but I do still recognize this good, unlike the oppositions helpful idiots.

[Baerboxer]

and here goes smutcakes bending the truth.

A poster here states PM Prayut will scrap the Heath Care scheme another tells there's money for 260 feet diving subs and I'm changing the subject?

Topic title "Prayut denies planning to scrap free health care to save money for subs". Even you wrote to me that these is room for increased spending. So why all the obsession with subs? Just people trying to position the Prayut government is as bad light as possible even if it means bending the truth a bit?

There are arguments for and against the military viability of submarines for the RTN. There are arguments for and against the 30 baht health care scheme - should it be free, maintained, increased, abolished; should the spending on health be increased and if so by how much.

These are not the only two items in the Thai budget. Submarines are not the only items for consideration in military expenditure.

The previous government were secretive with budgets and issued conflicting figures, especially concerning their vaunted self financing rice scheme. Very large sums of money seem unaccounted for, either by sloppy accounting or desire.

The current government have many issues to address including the budget and public spending. Linking two items together is far to simplistic but is being done to try and show the current government in a poor light. Many people believe what they are told - the health care money is being used to buy subs, Yingluck and Thaksin did nothing wrong, the UDD support democracy.

Remember when the lovely Yingluck wanted to buy 4 new passenger planes for exclusive use by her family government. So they could all fly about wherever and whenever they wanted, free, in total secrecy, and do as they pleased? Wonder if that money was going to come from health, education or rice scams?

BB, tamper your exuberance with some pointers. The budget for 2016 has already being finalized in April '15. No budget for submarines when tabled. The military has got a big budget approval and the submarines only need cabinet approval. I think the submarines are a done deal with the Chinese in a package with other stuffs.

There are no secret budgets too with previous government. Falsehood here. Parlimentary system required by law to have budget openly debated in Parliment.

Wrong again for 4 planes for government. Quarter of that money for a new plane for the Royal family. By the way, the planes didn't get off the ground and was aborted due to cabinet immobilized by the chaos.

If the military has a big budget, which it can spend how it wants with the right approvals then why do some suggest the money will be taken from health care? Maybe because it suits their agenda?

You are joking about PTP and budgets - Mr. White Lies the Finance minister, the repeated failure to present figures to parliament, the commerce and finance ministers issuing different sets of figures, and changing them repeatedly, etc etc. Or do you accept Yingluck's the Yingluck approach - everything is good, there are no problems, we did nothing wrong? Where did that 700 billion go, and the water management budget, and how much did CAPO spend again? Hardly the bastions of truth, transparency and prudent financial management were they Eric. How open do you think they'd have been with their hands on 2.2 trillion?

Public Auditing is a joke - whoever is in power.

4 planes - 1 to be used by the royal family and 3 for the Shins. Sounds like one of their plans. Chaos - the best description of the "Yingluck" administration. Must be hard to run a government by Skype and email.

[Shawn0001]

If they buy 3 Subs, they better buy a deep sea recovery vessel as well,

as it would just be an accident waiting to happen.

Surely common sense would say health service first,but this is Thailand.

regards Worgeordie

The waters around Thailand aren't deep enough to need a DSRV, they can use their normal escape procedures

Correction, the water on ONE side of Thailand is not deep enough to need a DSRV, the other side is over 3000 meters!

[wabothai]

Cosying up to China...

Better even, (which we will never know) part of some deals nothing to do with subs.

[tominbkk]

At least Thaksin did something for the people

Well propaganda from marxist side.... If Taksin do something why Isaan remains the poorest region thailand ?

Why during YL regime no poor farmer receive payment of their rice crop ? Why only landlords proxy to his camp receive benefit from rice scheme ?

Why Taksin not use is personal fortune for help poorest area of Thailand ? Why Taksin and is camp use vote buying ?

Why he want to transform a constitutional monarchy to fascist dictatorship “republic” under Thaksin Shinwatra rules ?

hahahahahahaha , he's a fascist is he. I recall him winning via elections not military take overs. Actually the poor's lot did improve vastly since he first took power. have a look and don't let your obvious hatred for the man get in the way of FACTS

You're going to need to back up what you say with some legitimate sources.

[casualbiker]

At least Thaksin did something for the people

Well propaganda from marxist side.... If Taksin do something why Isaan remains the poorest region thailand ?

Why during YL regime no poor farmer receive payment of their rice crop ? Why only landlords proxy to his camp receive benefit from rice scheme ?

Why Taksin not use is personal fortune for help poorest area of Thailand ? Why Taksin and is camp use vote buying ?

Why he want to transform a constitutional monarchy to fascist dictatorship “republic” under Thaksin Shinwatra rules ?

hahahahahahaha , he's a fascist is he. I recall him winning via elections not military take overs. Actually the poor's lot did improve vastly since he first took power. have a look and don't let your obvious hatred for the man get in the way of FACTS

Would you like to quantify the "vast improvements" Thaksin achieved for the poor? Certainly threw some things their way but broke many promises. However, he did achieve a very vast improvement in his and his families fortunes during the same period which he happily bragged about to Forbes.

The last Thaksin government aka the Yingluck puppet regime was more concerned with passing laws to whitewash his crimes, and their own, and get their hands on a mega amount of money without the usual checks and balances. Fascist, possibly but certainly a wannabee dictator. He started off admiring Singapore and the Lee family and wanted to emulate them. Somehow he seemed to loose any semblance of morality and ethics and was behaving more like Mugabe or Hun Set his eternal friend.

Thaksin, left to his own devices would bleed Thailand dry and turn it into a Shin autocracy. The opposition are careful not to bleed too much but stave off as much change and development as they can, unless it's to their benefit. Nepotism, corruption, patronage, hierarchy are alive and well - just the thieving is not so blatant in you face, and the lies a little less ludicrous than PTP.

"Would you like to quantify the "vast improvements" Thaksin achieved for the poor?"

Universal health care, micro managed development funds, low interest agricultural loans and the SML scheme, all helped raise Isaans average earnings by 46% and remove 10% of the population of Thailand from poverty. Under Thaksin, there was a fiscal surplus, the stock market boomed, public debt fell by 15% and foreign exchange reserves doubled. He provided universal access to anti-retro virals, saw 96% of the population have access to free health care, and provided access to health care for 2.3 million migrant workers.

Now, perhaps you would like to quantify the damage he did? I could, but I want to see if you can or if all you have is unsubstantiated rhetoric you have heard from the opposition.

Your statement about the opposition being careful not to bleed off too much is not evidenced by the Gini coefficient which shows inequality as falling from 0.525 to 0.499 under Thaksin while rising under the opposition. So please explain exactly what you are referencing, or did you just make that up?

I really hated Thaksin, but as time has passed I have grown to appreciate the good things that he did do, I am not sure that they outweigh the bad but I do still recognize this good, unlike the oppositions helpful idiots.

Isn't there also some reports that loans and development funds led many Thais unfamiliar in finance to get into extreme debt. Pretty much all of the good stuff happened in Thaksin's first term, and yes he did do a lot of good. Unfortunately I believe he was just setting up the populace for continued Shinawatra governments. Taking a leaf out of slippery eel Barnharn Silpa-Archas play book.

[whatawonderfulday]

Well as I have said many times before "what goes round comes round". However the fiscal and unfair policies he is promoting will maybe one day, with a bit of social and moral justice, see that he is treated similarly by the general population as Mussolini was by the Italians. Hopefully before he turns into a "Pol Pot the second", reversed of course as it will be the poorer classes eliminated.

[Shawn0001]

At least Thaksin did something for the people

Well propaganda from marxist side.... If Taksin do something why Isaan remains the poorest region thailand ?

Why during YL regime no poor farmer receive payment of their rice crop ? Why only landlords proxy to his camp receive benefit from rice scheme ?

Why Taksin not use is personal fortune for help poorest area of Thailand ? Why Taksin and is camp use vote buying ?

Why he want to transform a constitutional monarchy to fascist dictatorship “republic” under Thaksin Shinwatra rules ?

hahahahahahaha , he's a fascist is he. I recall him winning via elections not military take overs. Actually the poor's lot did improve vastly since he first took power. have a look and don't let your obvious hatred for the man get in the way of FACTS

Would you like to quantify the "vast improvements" Thaksin achieved for the poor? Certainly threw some things their way but broke many promises. However, he did achieve a very vast improvement in his and his families fortunes during the same period which he happily bragged about to Forbes.

The last Thaksin government aka the Yingluck puppet regime was more concerned with passing laws to whitewash his crimes, and their own, and get their hands on a mega amount of money without the usual checks and balances. Fascist, possibly but certainly a wannabee dictator. He started off admiring Singapore and the Lee family and wanted to emulate them. Somehow he seemed to loose any semblance of morality and ethics and was behaving more like Mugabe or Hun Set his eternal friend.

Thaksin, left to his own devices would bleed Thailand dry and turn it into a Shin autocracy. The opposition are careful not to bleed too much but stave off as much change and development as they can, unless it's to their benefit. Nepotism, corruption, patronage, hierarchy are alive and well - just the thieving is not so blatant in you face, and the lies a little less ludicrous than PTP.

"Would you like to quantify the "vast improvements" Thaksin achieved for the poor?"

Universal health care, micro managed development funds, low interest agricultural loans and the SML scheme, all helped raise Isaans average earnings by 46% and remove 10% of the population of Thailand from poverty. Under Thaksin, there was a fiscal surplus, the stock market boomed, public debt fell by 15% and foreign exchange reserves doubled. He provided universal access to anti-retro virals, saw 96% of the population have access to free health care, and provided access to health care for 2.3 million migrant workers.

Now, perhaps you would like to quantify the damage he did? I could, but I want to see if you can or if all you have is unsubstantiated rhetoric you have heard from the opposition.

Your statement about the opposition being careful not to bleed off too much is not evidenced by the Gini coefficient which shows inequality as falling from 0.525 to 0.499 under Thaksin while rising under the opposition. So please explain exactly what you are referencing, or did you just make that up?

I really hated Thaksin, but as time has passed I have grown to appreciate the good things that he did do, I am not sure that they outweigh the bad but I do still recognize this good, unlike the oppositions helpful idiots.

Isn't there also some reports that loans and development funds led many Thais unfamiliar in finance to get into extreme debt. Pretty much all of the good stuff happened in Thaksin's first term, and yes he did do a lot of good. Unfortunately I believe he was just setting up the populace for continued Shinawatra governments. Taking a leaf out of slippery eel Barnharn Silpa-Archas play book.

"Isn't there also some reports that loans and development funds led many Thais unfamiliar in finance to get into extreme debt."

No doubt, don't loans always get people in debt and don't some people succeed while others fail? That is just capatilism and I think it unfair to try to blame Thaksin for giving buisness loans to people who didn't succeed. It is the banks giving ridiculously large personnal loans who deserve all the critisim on that front.

"Pretty much all of the good stuff happened in Thaksin's first term"

Well, his first term was five times longer than his second but granted the Shinawatra rule never saw days like Thaksins first term again.

"Unfortunately I believe he was just setting up the populace for continued Shinawatra governments"

I agree, he was looking at the long term, he had a serving agenda for sure. Like most all bad politicians he started out doing a decent amount of good in order to win the people.

[Jimlove]

They always find the money for projects like this.

Sadly poor people are just kept happy with an endless diet of tv soaps and the dream of winning the lottery.

Agree - You are right on the Money, its a retarded society where rich people smooch of the poor even tho they only have a bowl of rice to eat per day but as long as nobody have the balls to speak out and make other people lose face and make them uncomfortable (heaven forbid that ...) then nothing will change ...

[rubl]

So, why would someone complain these subs 'only' go 260 feet? Someone just trying to distract just as much as you do as none of this has any relation with PM Prayut denying to scrap the Heath Care scheme, only to reign in it's exploding costs?

What exploding costs Rubl? According to the other paper, the costs are all very reasonable when compared to other countries, in fact there is room for increased spending. 4% of GDP is not high.

4% of GDP is how many Baht? There's room for increased spending, but people complain about 36 billion Baht spread over seven years? How about the 700 billion Baht lost in less than three years on the self-financing RPPS?

Of course people complain, and so should you if you had any kind of consistency in what you write. You among others complained mercilessly against anything the previous Government did, for the most part facts of issues were ignored, so its a bit raw you coming here whining that people are just trying to look for things to beat the Government with.

The fact is that this Government came to power on the back of large protests about, corruption, transparency, waste of money on the rice scheme etc with a promise of reforming the system, so can you really not understand why people would not complain about this proposed purchase regardless of what went before under the previous Government? especially when noises are being made about their being insufficient funding available for the Universal Health Care program?

Can you honestly say, without pontificating on something unrelated that this purchase is either necessary, and that the money could not be put to far better use?

There are many things here which are shades of grey as to whether they are right or wrong, and there are things like this which are black and white, which is pretty much universally agreed on by every single commentator, editorial on every single new site on the web. The fact that you cannot even bring yourself to be critical of something so blindingly obviously wrong, really devalues your position as a rational poster in my opinion.

Oh come on, smutcakes. It would seem you gave the information that PM Prayut doesn't even need to scrap the free Heath Care scheme and now you want to go on about some submarines ? Isn't that a more philosophical question as I'm not really aware it's being put in practise in any country?

So, the black and white here is that even our Lanna boy admitted not to be sure, gKid wanting different toys and you being insulting, but I guess that's just because you choose some interesting way of reaching a conclusion.

In the mean time, there is no need nor intention to scrap the free Health Care scheme, not even to buy some submarines.

[rubl]

and here goes smutcakes bending the truth.

A poster here states PM Prayut will scrap the Heath Care scheme another tells there's money for 260 feet diving subs and I'm changing the subject?

Topic title "Prayut denies planning to scrap free health care to save money for subs". Even you wrote to me that these is room for increased spending. So why all the obsession with subs? Just people trying to position the Prayut government is as bad light as possible even if it means bending the truth a bit?

There are arguments for and against the military viability of submarines for the RTN. There are arguments for and against the 30 baht health care scheme - should it be free, maintained, increased, abolished; should the spending on health be increased and if so by how much.

These are not the only two items in the Thai budget. Submarines are not the only items for consideration in military expenditure.

The previous government were secretive with budgets and issued conflicting figures, especially concerning their vaunted self financing rice scheme. Very large sums of money seem unaccounted for, either by sloppy accounting or desire.

The current government have many issues to address including the budget and public spending. Linking two items together is far to simplistic but is being done to try and show the current government in a poor light. Many people believe what they are told - the health care money is being used to buy subs, Yingluck and Thaksin did nothing wrong, the UDD support democracy.

Remember when the lovely Yingluck wanted to buy 4 new passenger planes for exclusive use by her family government. So they could all fly about wherever and whenever they wanted, free, in total secrecy, and do as they pleased? Wonder if that money was going to come from health, education or rice scams?

BB, tamper your exuberance with some pointers. The budget for 2016 has already being finalized in April '15. No budget for submarines when tabled. The military has got a big budget approval and the submarines only need cabinet approval. I think the submarines are a done deal with the Chinese in a package with other stuffs.

There are no secret budgets too with previous government. Falsehood here. Parlimentary system required by law to have budget openly debated in Parliment.

Wrong again for 4 planes for government. Quarter of that money for a new plane for the Royal family. By the way, the planes didn't get off the ground and was aborted due to cabinet immobilized by the chaos.

The National Budget for 2015/2016 hasn't been finalised as it hasn't been approved yet. Furthermore that 'big budget' seems in line with budgets of other Ministries and over the last few years.

BTW the 36 billion Baht are spread over seven years.

As for the planes, some people in the past didn't seem to either know or care. Especially when royals are used as country representatives, just like PMs.

[LannaGuy]

In comparison the previous government spent 700 billion Baht on a self-financing scheme and still has defenders here as it helped all poor farmers to get rich, allegedly that is.

So, indeed the nation needs education desperately. With 480 billion reserved in the national budget and no results some measures there would really help.

BTW with the Health Care scheme so wonderful why would the previous government reinstate the 30 Baht and admit that it costs more to collect and ended up with stating "but people can elect not to pay"? If the scheme is so wonderful why does it require additional money? Aren't hospitals available? Don't people love what they've got?

who cares "it costs more to collect"? it's people's HEALTH and WELL-BEING I realise, from your posts that YOU don't care, but most countries cost more than they collect (UK for example). Try understanding the word "compassionate"???

[Ricardo]

In comparison the previous government spent 700 billion Baht on a self-financing scheme and still has defenders here as it helped all poor farmers to get rich, allegedly that is.

So, indeed the nation needs education desperately. With 480 billion reserved in the national budget and no results some measures there would really help.

BTW with the Health Care scheme so wonderful why would the previous government reinstate the 30 Baht and admit that it costs more to collect and ended up with stating "but people can elect not to pay"? If the scheme is so wonderful why does it require additional money? Aren't hospitals available? Don't people love what they've got?

who cares "it costs more to collect"? it's people's HEALTH and WELL-BEING I realise, from your posts that YOU don't care, but most countries cost more than they collect (UK for example). Try understanding the word "compassionate"???

I believe the point is, if the charge raised less than it cost in administration to collect, then not collecting it actually released more funds towards the health-care, which is where it's needed.

And the suspicion was that the charge was reintroduced, as a political ploy to remind people who'd introduced the long-proposed scheme, because it clearly wasn't to help fund the scheme itself.

Public healthcare in Thailand has always been underfunded, the scheme was introduced without any great change in that, inevitably it strained the hospitals' budgets, and no political-party has addressed the funding problem properly.

Whatever resources are available to pay for "people's HEALTH and WELL-BEING" needs to be spent where it will have the greatest effect, and not leached away by local-corruption or in unnecessary administration, as I'm sure we'd all agree ?

[rubl]

In comparison the previous government spent 700 billion Baht on a self-financing scheme and still has defenders here as it helped all poor farmers to get rich, allegedly that is.

So, indeed the nation needs education desperately. With 480 billion reserved in the national budget and no results some measures there would really help.

BTW with the Health Care scheme so wonderful why would the previous government reinstate the 30 Baht and admit that it costs more to collect and ended up with stating "but people can elect not to pay"? If the scheme is so wonderful why does it require additional money? Aren't hospitals available? Don't people love what they've got?

who cares "it costs more to collect"? it's people's HEALTH and WELL-BEING I realise, from your posts that YOU don't care, but most countries cost more than they collect (UK for example). Try understanding the word "compassionate"???

I believe the point is, if the charge raised less than it cost in administration to collect, then not collecting it actually released more funds towards the health-care, which is where it's needed.

And the suspicion was that the charge was reintroduced, as a political ploy to remind people who'd introduced the long-proposed scheme, because it clearly wasn't to help fund the scheme itself.

Public healthcare in Thailand has always been underfunded, the scheme was introduced without any great change in that, inevitably it strained the hospitals' budgets, and no political-party has addressed the funding problem properly.

Whatever resources are available to pay for "people's HEALTH and WELL-BEING" needs to be spent where it will have the greatest effect, and not leached away by local-corruption or in unnecessary administration, as I'm sure we'd all agree ?

Correct. The previous government only change the free Heath Care Scheme in two ways. They wanted to charge 30-Baht per visit again to be able to re-apply the "30 Baht scheme" label and ended up only to add the label for political profit and leave the '30 Baht' voluntary'.

Now that's compassionate, for a single person that is. They didn't even change the financing of the Health Care scheme much, apart from saying private hospitals had some obligations and the obligatory "We take special care of this".

[baboon]

Rubl: This. Thread. Is. Not. About. The. Previous. Government's. Public. Health. Policy. Savvy?

Edited July 7, 2015 by baboon

[rubl]

Rubl: This. Thread. Is. Not. About. The. Previous. Government's. Public. Health. Policy. Savvy?

Absolutely, my dear baboon.

This is not about the previous government changing the free Health Care scheme back into a "30 Baht scheme" in order to have the label again to remind people of Thaksin, no the topic is

"Prayut denies planning to abolish free healthcare to save money for buying submarines"

[casualbiker]

Rubl: This. Thread. Is. Not. About. The. Previous. Government's. Public. Health. Policy. Savvy?

Baboon. Of course it is.. It's all about that. It was introduced under a Shinawatra government, a Shinawatra government of one form or another has been in power the longest since it's introduction and the health service is underfunded and has been from the outset! Edited July 7, 2015 by casualbiker

[smutcakes]

Rubl: This. Thread. Is. Not. About. The. Previous. Government's. Public. Health. Policy. Savvy?

Baboon. Of course it is.. It's all about that. It was introduced under a Shinawatra government, a Shinawatra government of one form or another has been in power the longest since it's introduction and the health service is underfunded and has been from the outset!

And how, previous to the TS Governments, supported by the Military and Civilian Govts in Bangkok were the poor and vulnerable supported..... zero, nada, nothing...

Easy to see how despite his obvious deficiencies why so much of the country support him still.

Horses, doors, closed and bolted come to mind. No one to blame but their greedy self serving selves.

[casualbiker]

Rubl: This. Thread. Is. Not. About. The. Previous. Government's. Public. Health. Policy. Savvy?

Baboon. Of course it is.. It's all about that. It was introduced under a Shinawatra government, a Shinawatra government of one form or another has been in power the longest since it's introduction and the health service is underfunded and has been from the outset!

And how, previous to the TS Governments, supported by the Military and Civilian Govts in Bangkok were the poor and vulnerable supported..... zero, nada, nothing...

Easy to see how despite his obvious deficiencies why so much of the country support him still.

Horses, doors, closed and bolted come to mind. No one to blame but their greedy self serving selves.

Smutty. We definitely are not talking about horses.. Maybe the sports subforum.

In Thaksin's first term there were many good things done, not least the health care scheme others like the village fund not so sure about. The point is that not a lot has happened to improve or amend the health service since!

It is underfunded, that's the facts!

[Your Thainess]

The 'Scumbag Steve' meme was just waiting for a bloke like Prayuth.

[casualbiker]

The 'Scumbag Steve' meme was just waiting for a bloke like Prayuth.

They know how to use them. They have been training for 5 years!

Universal healthcare is to expensive for most developing countries.

Prayuth should be applauded for actually saying so. The Thai general populace need to understand the costs involved and maybe not go to hospital just because they have a cold!

Actually developing the Clinic system would probably be beneficial and only have the hospitals for emergency or redirected cases.

[Your Thainess]

You know what else developing countries can't afford? Costly gimmick institutions.

[halloween]

And how, previous to the TS Governments, supported by the Military and Civilian Govts in Bangkok were the poor and vulnerable supported..... zero, nada, nothing...

Easy to see how despite his obvious deficiencies why so much of the country support him still.

Horses, doors, closed and bolted come to mind. No one to blame but their greedy self serving selves.

Not unusually, you are quite wrong. "Means-tested health care for low income households was replaced by a new and more comprehensive insurance scheme, originally known as the 30 baht project........" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_in_Thailand

Other PMs before Thaksin were proposing a more wide spread scheme but were worried about how to fund it. Thaksin solved that problem, he introduced it without funding, and only belatedly introduced it as hospitals across the country were threatened with bankruptcy.

[smutcakes]

And how, previous to the TS Governments, supported by the Military and Civilian Govts in Bangkok were the poor and vulnerable supported..... zero, nada, nothing...

Easy to see how despite his obvious deficiencies why so much of the country support him still.

Horses, doors, closed and bolted come to mind. No one to blame but their greedy self serving selves.

Not unusually, you are quite wrong. "Means-tested health care for low income households was replaced by a new and more comprehensive insurance scheme, originally known as the 30 baht project........" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_in_Thailand

Other PMs before Thaksin were proposing a more wide spread scheme but were worried about how to fund it. Thaksin solved that problem, he introduced it without funding, and only belatedly introduced it as hospitals across the country were threatened with bankruptcy.

Yes of course they were mate, unfortunately and exactly as those before them they did nothing...

I am sure they were all out thinking about funding options...... If you believe that OzMick you would believe anything.

[rubl]

Rubl: This. Thread. Is. Not. About. The. Previous. Government's. Public. Health. Policy. Savvy?

Baboon. Of course it is.. It's all about that. It was introduced under a Shinawatra government, a Shinawatra government of one form or another has been in power the longest since it's introduction and the health service is underfunded and has been from the outset!

And how, previous to the TS Governments, supported by the Military and Civilian Govts in Bangkok were the poor and vulnerable supported..... zero, nada, nothing...

Easy to see how despite his obvious deficiencies why so much of the country support him still.

Horses, doors, closed and bolted come to mind. No one to blame but their greedy self serving selves.

Most of the work was done under the Chuan Leekpai government and then picked up by the Thaksin government. Thaksin is good at PR.