Fears mount over imminent changes to healthcare

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Fears mount over imminent changes to healthcare
By CHULARAT SAENGPASSA
THE NATION

 

Dr. Thira

 

Service providers to have more say in scheme affecting 48m under revised law.

 

BANGKOK: -- ONE OF the most important healthcare laws is being revised amid concerns expressed from all sides. 

 

Many are worried that the revisions will disrupt the National Health Security Office (NHSO) and the universal healthcare scheme, which has long been under its care. Other critics fear that the amendment to the National Health Security Act – as framed by the draft National Health Security Bill – will fail to solve problems that have long plagued the scheme and hospitals that support it. 

 

The matter is of paramount national importance because the scheme covers about 48 million people in Thailand.

 

“For now, I hope people affected by the legal amendments will be able to make their voices heard,” Dr Thira Woratanarat, a lecturer at the Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine, said about the bill. 

 

As of last Friday, people have been invited to comment on the bill on websites operated by various authorities, including www.lawamendment.go.th. Comments will be accepted until June 18. 

 

Authorities also intend to organise four public hearings on the draft law between Saturday and June 18. Representatives from various sectors will also be invited to public-consultation sessions regarding the draft on June 20 and 21.

 

Yet Thira believed more efforts were needed to hear what people really wanted. 

 

He pointed out that the elderly, physically challenged, poor and IT-illiterate would not be able to access the process. 

 

“You need to create more channels for people to learn about the proposed legal amendments. You  need to create forums for people to express their views. Let’s do something like ‘Public Speak Out’ sessions,” the medical lecturer said, referring to a public-education campaign conducted in South Africa to address the Aids epidemic. 

 

 

14 major differences to current law

 

There are 14 major differences between the law currently in place and the draft bill. Among them are the definition of “public health services” and the representation of medical-service providers on the National Health Security Commission (NHSC). 

 

Aids Access Foundation director Nimit Tien-udom attacked the bill, saying the NHSC would be unlikely to side with patients if medical-service providers were disproportionately represented. 

 

Nimit joined the People’s Health Systems Movement rallying outside the United Nations building in Bangkok yesterday to demand that the new National Health Security Bill be scrapped. The group’s representatives also planned to hand a letter of objection to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha at Government House.

 

However, Dr Churdchoo Ariyasriwatana, a member of the Medical Council, pledged to submit a letter in favour of the changes to the United Nations and Prayut today. 

 

“We agree with the proposed changes and in fact we even believe more changes should be made,” she said. “We also wish to express our support for the co-payment system.”

 

During the past 15 years, the universal healthcare scheme – which initially kicked off as the Bt30-per-medical-visit scheme – has offered almost all kinds of medical treatment for free. The NHSO received a budget for the scheme and chose how to pay participating hospitals. 

 

Most such hospitals are state-run, and many have complained about the financial burden. Some have reported they were unable to get reimbursements in some cases because the NHSO had ruled that the cases failed to meet the prescribed criteria, leaving hospitals to shoulder the financial burden.

 

Churdchoo said the current law gave too much power to the NHSO, which set up rules that restricted doctors’ decisions to prescribe treatment and resulted in a drop in medical quality. 

 

Complicated and unreasonable reimbursement criteria imposed |by the NHSO had influenced |doctors’ decisions to choose treatments and medicines, she added. 

 

She also disagreed with free treatment for all, saying co-payments were a better option. People who could afford to pay for their healthcare should be required to, while |people who could not afford to pay should receive help, she said. 

 

“With the co-payments, we won’t have to quarrel over whether we have enough of a budget for the scheme,” Churdchoo said.

 

Thira said he was worried various sectors would fight over the proposed changes to the law because of divisions among themselves, and fail to protect the “public interest”. 

 

“Don’t fight for power. Don’t rush to complete a task assigned without fully contemplating its impacts. If you disagree on some points, turn to each other and talk to find a consensus,” he said. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/national/30317369

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-06-07

[Ulic]

One thing is for certain, changes to the health care system are not being made so the government has to spend

more money on healthcare. They will be looking to make the system more "efficient" (spend less) but not

piss the public off enough that there is social unrest.  

[robblok]

2 minutes ago, Ulic said:

One thing is for certain, changes to the health care system are not being made so the government has to spend

more money on healthcare. They will be looking to make the system more "efficient" (spend less) but not

piss the public off enough that there is social unrest.  

That happens in most countries so yes I agree.

 

They have to add more funding to it, but where to take the money from ? If an amount the size of the rice program had been put in the healthcare budget things would have looked a lot better and the whole country would have benefited. Same goes if they had not increased the armies expenditure and put that in the healthcare programs. It just shows whoever is in power does not care too much.. just care about themseves (army higher salaries) PTP (besides the corruption in the program) only about the voting block farmers to get in power.

 

I don't see this changing anytime soon. I am against the co payment thing, it would make things complicated and uncertain for those receiving care. The rich already have insurance so they are not hit and salary workers are already paying into the system would be unfair to charge them more.

[Chris Lawrence]

Dr Churdchoo Ariyasriwatana, a measles specialist doctor, wants changes in the system so the private health insurance companies are directing more of the play in hospitals. 

 

Its a cost saving approach. Don't know what studies they did to prove their figures?

 

Cunning way to adopt populist policies of spending more on the military (subs)?

[Baerboxer]

8 hours ago, Chris Lawrence said:

Dr Churdchoo Ariyasriwatana, a measles specialist doctor, wants changes in the system so the private health insurance companies are directing more of the play in hospitals. 

 

Its a cost saving approach. Don't know what studies they did to prove their figures?

 

Cunning way to adopt populist policies of spending more on the military (subs)?

 

Health care is topical in many countries. America Trump has scrapped Obamacare. In the UK the Tories want more privatization (their universal panacea which have been shown time and time again to not be) whereas Labor want to in-source and less privatization (which have also been shown to not be the answer).

 

Delivering health care, real quality for all, especially the most needy and vulnerable in society, requires adequate funding, investment and people with the right skills.

 

Sadly, governments often prefer to spend the money in other areas.

[thequietman]

The first thing on the list should be to NOT hand out medicine like its candy. Got a cold, go home and drink warm rice soup. Got a headache, sleep, relax and take a paracetamol. The queues in Thai hospitals are crazy and most for things that can be treated at home. It's a day out for old people who get to talk about their ailments and then get validation when the doc gives them medicine.

A doc told me here that he gives medicine because the patient expects it. The doc doesn't want the patient to lose 'face.' Fact.

[Smarter Than You]

It's currently estimated that PTP will win about 220 of the 500 lower house seats should an election occur next year.

The Junta messing with Universal Healthcare will probably push that number up over 300 - rendering the coup a complete waste of time.

I guess it's true, every cloud has a silver lining.

[wakeupplease]

The prosperity of the country is based on one thing and that is the workforce, when they get ill the country will get ill and that is a fact.

 

Locals earn a pittance as it is now how can they afford to pay for private healthcare and rip offs by the bib

 

He just said we will become a food superpower in 20 years, no you will not mate as you will not have a healthy workforce to help you

 

The only thing that counts here is money for subs, arms and the greens/yellows.

 

Sod the working class that has supported the country under duress for decades.

[wakeupplease]

22 minutes ago, thequietman said:

The first thing on the list should be to NOT hand out medicine like its candy. Got a cold, go home and drink warm rice soup. Got a headache, sleep, relax and take a paracetamol. The queues in Thai hospitals are crazy and most for things that can be treated at home. It's a day out for old people who get to talk about their ailments and then get validation when the doc gives them medicine.

A doc told me here that he gives medicine because the patient expects it. The doc doesn't want the patient to lose 'face.' Fact.

A lot said here is very true all over the world not just here

 

So bloody educate people. and THE DOCTORs

[USPatriot]

Thais go to the doctor for everything. I don't get it