PUBLISHED: 9 Nov 2024 at 04: 00
According to the National Health Security Office ( NHSO ), clinics that refuse to provide patients with access to healthcare may face legal and criminal prosecution.
The investigation was announced by NHSO secretary-general Dr. Jadet Thammathataree yesterday in response to complaints from Bangkok-based Universal Healthcare subscribers who had trouble obtaining client referral forms.
The plaintiffs claimed that some clinics required an enhance demand, which ranged from seven times to a month prior to the move date. Despite the fact that the service was beyond their clinical expertise, some clinics have continued to offer important disease care.
The progress move requirements, however, have caused patients to deal with an additional financial hardship, including transportation costs and physician bills, if they choose to seek remedy at hospitals without a request document, they claim.
According to the complaints, several clinics refused to write prescriptions for patients who had chronic condition for more than seven days.
That may cause their state to disintegrate, Dr Jadet said.
He claimed that some health facilities, which were covered by the universal healthcare agreement, reportedly refused to accept referred individuals despite receiving calls from NHSO Hotline officers. These facilities, range from local hospitals to medical school hospitals.
Dr Jadet said the NHSO may perform its sensor on a case-by-case base, with constitutional claims to be considered in some instances. He advised hospitals that had referral problems to get in touch with the NHSO, noting that the office is liable for the hospital’s treatment costs, including a 1-800-baht deductible for the primary clinics.
Dr. Jadet noted that the NHSO has already planned for fiscal 2025, with an 800,000 baht per 10,000 patients for each clinic set up.