Cheaper outpatient costs mulled

Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin has floated the idea of reducing costs for the treatment of outpatients per visit at hospitals, claiming this measure, if successful, would help create a level playing field through the more equal distribution of funds.
Mr Somsak said he has assigned the National Health Security Office (NHSO), which is responsible for the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS), also known as the 30-baht healthcare scheme, to conduct a feasibility study of the idea.
Mr Somsak raised the idea as medical workers have expressed concern about hospitals having insufficient budgets to serve the UCS, causing them to go into debt.
He said he believed it would result in more fair treatment between clinics and hospitals.
He went on to say that he was recently informed by the ministry’s committee on national health security that the UCS paid 500 baht for each outpatient visit at clinics while hospitals receive 1,500 baht for each outpatient visit.
Mr Somsak questioned the current system given that both clinics and hospitals provide the same medical treatment for outpatients.
“We’re aware of the problem so we would like to create a fair atmosphere for medical treatment for outpatients. “We’re looking into the possibility of lowering medical expenses for each outpatient at hospitals.”
“We are trying to do the best we can to reduce any medical expenditure as much as possible,” he added.
Previously, the NHSO came under the fire after it decided to reduce the in-patient cost to 7,000 baht per visit.
Mr Somsak said non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are now threatening the government’s coffers as over 130 billion baht a year is allocated for treating people with NCDs.