City Hall has assured about 220,000 Bangkok residents, now excluded from seeking healthcare under the universal healthcare scheme at nine private hospitals, that they will soon be allowed to register with a new provider.
While waiting for registration, which is scheduled to begin on Monday, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA), National Health Security Office (NHSO) and the Ministry of Public Health are working together to help those who may need care in the meantime, Bangkok deputy governor Tavida Kamolvej said yesterday.
About 220,000 people were affected when the private hospitals terminated contracts with the NHSO, pulling out of the universal healthcare scheme. The move took effect on Oct 1.
Of the affected patients, about 20,000 have chronic diseases and need frequent hospital care, Ms Tavida said.
“To ease the problem, the BMA and NHSO are trying to sign up 200 more pharmacies as primary healthcare partners in the healthcare scheme, and persuade other hospitals in Bangkok to take patients who need to be transferred to a larger hospital for treatment,” she said.
“Not all these patients have been transferred to a new hospital [for more advanced treatment], but a sudden rise in demand for primary care services will soon be dealt with,” she added.
As for new registration for healthcare access at a new primary healthcare unit, the NHSO and BMA are compiling data about new providers who the 220,000 can register with, said Dr Lalitaya Kongkham, deputy secretary-general of the NHSO.