The new health captain makes an entry promise.
PUBLISHED: September 13, 2023, at 4:00 p.m.
Udon Thani: The Ministry of Public Health has vowed to enhance the universal healthcare system, providing better services and accessibility for everyone, particularly those who reside in large cities and are poor.
The permanent secretary of the ministry, Dr. Opas Kankawinpong, stated yesterday at an educational conference in Udon Thani that although the universal healthcare system has been in place for 21 years, improvements could be made to better adjust it to changing lifestyles.
Previously, the ministry defined resilient or delicate groups as people who reside in remote areas without access to basic healthcare.
However, in modern times, this even refers to poor individuals who reside in large cities like Bangkok, Pattaya, Chiang Mai, and Nakhon Ratchasima and who also have trouble getting access to medical care.
According to Dr. Opas, this is a problem the government needs to address.
Our task under the” 30-baht healthcare scheme plus ,” which we will soon launch in accordance with the new minister’s policy, is to ensure that the vulnerable groups have unrestricted access to medical care.
He continued,” Many problems must be discussed, such as staff shortages and job descriptions for medical employees.”
As fresh doctors have been leaving state-owned hospitals due to their saturated workloads, the ministry is experiencing a shortage of medical staff. As many patients go to state-run hospitals, the general care program is seen as one aspect contributing to this overcrowding.
The ministry will concentrate on healthcare protection, health promotion, treatment, and the use of technology, including healthcare, to lower the number of outpatients at express hospitals under the” 30-baht universal care plus” concept.
According to Dr. Opas, the new government’s plan to eliminate restrictions on universal medical allows patients to use their ID cards to get any hospital healthcare service rather than being restricted to the facility where they originally registered.
The National Health Security Office, which is in charge of the budget for the common healthcare program, did hear from the ministry about the matter and make a decision regarding an appropriate distribution of hospitals across the country.