Universal healthcare finances sound, says minister

The Ministry of Public Health believes the universal healthcare programme will not experience any financial problems, according to minister Somsak Thepsutin.
The government approved a central budget of 5.9 billion baht for the scheme for the fiscal year ending Sept 30, Mr Somsak said on Tuesday following a meeting of the National Health Security Board. Participants discussed proposals for disbursing the remaining funds before the fiscal year ends on Sept 30.
The board discussed prioritising the payment of service fees to providers under the universal healthcare scheme before paying for other costs, such as a budget for members who might need to pay for medical care outside the  network of the National Health Security Office (NHSO)
This would assist in resolving the problem some state hospitals have been having in meeting expenses, Mr Somsak said.
If any money is left over, it should go towards paying each hospital’s portion of the increased costs for inpatient care, Mr Somsak said.
The central budget needs to be finished and disbursed by Sept 30. Any remaining funds should be carried over to the following year, he said.
The minister said the rate of inpatient expenses for the programe, popularly known as the 30-baht or gold card scheme, would not be lowered to 7,000 baht per time as originally recommended by the NHSO, but would be between 8,154 and 8,350 baht per unit.
The board also acknowledged the observations of the National Economic and Social Development Council, which expressed concerns about possible budgetary overlap, such as the expenses of outpatients treated at primary care clinics and large hospitals, where the treatment rates are different.
“There have been requests to equalise the treatment expenses. This matter has not yet been finalised because clinics and large hospitals have different treatment standards and equipment,” said Mr Somsak.
A campaign to promote health will also be launched next year to lower the number of cases of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like diabetes and high blood pressure. If successful, this will result in a significant reduction in treatment costs, he said.
“We spent almost 100 billion baht fighting NCDs. If we can reduce the number of patients, we can dramatically lower the annual costs of medical care,” he said.