ThaiHealth's 'budget use breached core goals': Agencies

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THAIHEALTH
ThaiHealth's 'budget use breached core goals': Agencies
PIYANUCH THAMNUKASETCHAI
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- PROBES BY two agencies show the Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth) has used its budget in violation of its founding objectives.

ThaiHealth executives will be summoned to testify before the Centre for National Anti-Corruption (CNAC) next week.

"The probes suggest that ThaiHealth has paid out some parts of its budget not in line with regulations and thus someone must be held responsible," Justice Minister General Paiboon Koomchaya said yesterday.

He was speaking after he chaired a CNAC meeting. Representatives from four relevant organisations - the Monitoring and Auditing Committee on Fiscal Expenditures, the Office of the Auditor General (OAG), the National Anti-Corruption Commission and the Office of Public Sector Anti Corruption Commission - joined the meeting to discuss the probes into ThaiHealth's budget use.

ThaiHealth has a budget of Bt4 billion this year, with its income coming from "sin taxes". Having huge resources available, it has sponsored various projects around the country.

Paiboon yesterday announced that the Monitoring and Auditing Committee on Fiscal Expenditures and the OAG had found many of the ThaiHealth projects ran against its founding objectives.

"ThaiHealth executives should come forward and explain these points," the justice minister said.

He said the executives should provide explanations project by project and if any budget was disbursed against regulations, their intention must be checked.

"We have to determine whether this constitutes corruption," he said.

He said the recipients of ThaiHealth sponsorships would be investigated also to determine if projects were implemented based on proposals approved by ThaiHealth.

Paiboon dismissed speculation that ThaiHealth executives were in hot water because they had provided funding to media outlets that were scrutinising government work.

"No, they are groundless," he said.

In a related development, the Foundation for Consumers issued a statement to defend itself after Dr Arnond Sakworawich, a lecturer at the National Institute of Development Administration, claimed the foundation had a conflict of interest.

"We are accused of trying to defend the misuse of ThaiHealth and the National Health Security Office because we have received their money," the foundation's secretary general Saree Aongsomwang said via the statement.

She said her foundation had had no opportunity to defend ThaiHealth or former ThaiHealth boss Krisada Ruang-areera, who resigned in the wake of reports of alleged irregularities.

She said the Foundation for Consumers was simply one of thousands of recipients of ThaiHealth funding.

"We don't get any special treatment or anything. ThaiHealth might have not been quite happy with us either because we have investigated all governments," she added.

Saree listed what she said were many of the foundation's successes when defending the public and national interest.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/ThaiHealths-budget-use-breached-core-goals-Agencie-30271223.html


-- The Nation 2015-10-20

[tuanku]

Is Big Tobacco unhappy with ThaiHealth projects?

Or the brewers and distillers?

Or the mining companies?

Or the Oil refineries and chemicals companies?

Or the Private hospitals and drugs companies?

Or the food conglomerates loading factory farmed chicken and pork with growth hormones and antibiotics?

I can think of a number of powerful organisations for whom increasing the health of the Thai population might have negative profit implications.

Or it might be that this is another corrupt organisation mis-spending its budget.

[Confuscious]

Corruption in this "holier than thou" cabinet?

No way.
Never.