PUBLISHED: 26 Sep 2024 at 04: 00
Somsak Thepsutin, the minister of public wellbeing, has suggested lowering the cost of outpatient hospital care, claiming that if implemented, it would help produce a level playing field through more equitable distribution of funds.
Mr. Somsak claimed that he has assigned the National Health Security Office ( NHSO ), which is in charge of the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS), also known as the 30-baht healthcare scheme, to carry out a feasibility study of the idea.
As health professionals have expressed concern that hospitals have insufficient budgets to pay for the UCS, which causes them to become debts, Mr. Somsak brought up the idea.
He asserted that this would lead to more equitable treatment of patients at hospitals and clinics.
He continued, claiming that the commission’s committee on national health security had just informed him that hospitals get 1,500 baht for each inpatient visit while the UCS paid 500 ringgit for each outpatient visit.
Given that both clinics and hospitals offer outpatients the same health care, Mr. Somsak questioned the existing structure.
” We’re aware of the issue, but we want to make sure clinics receive medical care in a good environment.” We’re looking into the possibility of lowering hospital outpatient health costs.
” We are trying to accomplish the best we can to minimize any health costs as much as possible,” he added.
Recently, the NHSO came under the fire after it decided to reduce the in-patient charge to 7, 000 ringgit per visit.
Since more than 130 billion baht are allocated annually for treating people with NCDs, Mr. Somsak claimed that non-communicable diseases (NCDs ) are now a threat to the government’s finances.