Public Health Minister Cholnan Srikaew and Deputy Public Health Minister Santi Promphat recently stepped into their new roles with an ambitious agenda. Upon their arrival at the office, they were warmly welcomed by senior officials, a sign of mutual respect and the anticipation of effective collaboration. Their shared vision is related to the creation and implementation of a robust framework for national health governance known as the National Health Board (NHB).
The NHB is slated as the country’s health policy modulator that will align different government ministries and the private sector towards unified health objectives. It will directly come under the stewardship of the prime minister, fostering a shared responsibility and collaborative efforts across public and private sectors. Dr. Cholnan articulates that the NHB will not only be restricted to the jurisdiction of the Public Health Ministry but extend its reach across different governmental units to ensure holistic policy implementation.
“Various agencies responsible for health policy execution currently operate out of sync, inadvertently hampering the quality of healthcare services delivered,” stated Minister Cholnan. The introduction of the NHB, as he further explains, will aid in smoothening out these inconsistencies without infringing upon the roles of existing bodies like the National Health Security Office (NHSO) or the National Health Commission.
While dispelling concerns over potential budgetary issues, Dr. Cholnan assured that the operational budget of the NHB would not compete with those allocated to other existing bodies. The Board’s primary function will be to oversee the execution of various health policies, thereby improving the effectiveness of current system. “On the contrary, the introduction of the NHB will not erode the role of the Public Health Ministry, but rather bolster it,” Cholnan optimistically iterated. “The public health policies are more likely to reap the benefits when implemented in an integrated and thorough fashion, effectively rooting out any gaps.”
Dr. Cholnan reassured the public that the government would not be implementing a 30-baht fee on members of the “gold card” universal healthcare scheme whenever they require medical services. Rest assured, the government has every intention to keep improving the scheme, striving to diminish the disparity between different universal healthcare programs such as the gold card scheme, the Social Security Fund and state officials’ health insurance policies.
Dr. Prasit Watanapa, a respected advisor to Mahidol University’s Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, is of a similar view. He insisted on increased government spending for the healthcare sector, expressing concern that the current spending is insufficient when the Gross Domestic Product is taken into account. “To ensure adequate healthcare coverage, our funding needs to be duly met,” he expressed.
Moreover, he proposed that the government should look into improving aspects such as streamlining reimbursement for medical bills for civil servants, and mitigating problems like fraudulent use of IDs for obtaining medical services. As the official dialogue around healthcare reform continues, it’s expected that these critical issues will find their place in the discussion for the betterment of the national healthcare system.
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