An ambitious initiative is underway by the National Health Security Office (NHSO), wherein they intend to expand their ‘Gold Card’ or Universal Healthcare (UHC) pack to deploy health services to a wider populace. Spearheading this plan is Dr. Jadet Thammathat-aree, the secretary-general of the NHSO, who confidently laid out the elaborate plan in conjunction with the Pharmacy Council of Thailand (PCT).
Last November, a pilot scheme was set up with 1,090 pharmacies spread out nationally. The surprising subscriptions which escalated to 189,035 as of July 14th, lends an optimistic lens towards the plan. This further fuels the ambitious undertaking.
According to Dr. Jadet’s observation, the demand for medicines seems to gravitate towards common conditions such as cold, musculoskeletal pains, irritations of the skin including rashes, gastric discomfort, and eye irritation.
The impending challenge right now is setting the gears in motion to have additional 17,000 pharmacies on board in this ambitious journey. By 2024, NHSO projects to have over 5,000 pharmacies integrated into this scheme, with readiness to dispense medicines aimed at providing relief from 16 minor ailments as stated by Dr. Jadet.
Spanning the framework even further, the goal of NHSO is to ensure each district has at least one NHSO scheme adopted pharmacy, open to administering essential medicines for the subscribed individuals. The overarching goal remains set in stone: inclusion of all pharmacies within Thailand.
On the operational side, the participating pharmacies will also be in capacity to provide free-of-charge basic annual health screenings for the Gold-card holders, covering realms of Body Mass Index (BMI) calculation, blood pressure measurement, diabetes detection, and risk assessment for harmful habits, such as smoking, drinking, and drug use.
Dr. Jadet also mentions that preventive health supplements and measures will not take a backseat, stating that birth control measures, pregnancy tests, emergecny contraception, condoms and supplements for expectant women will also be available in this health services potpourri.
A simple presentation of the national ID card by the subscribers at these establishments will grant them access to all the aforementioned services, making the process lucid and efficacious for all.
Be First to Comment