The Yingluck Shinawatra government plans to issue health cards for both
Thai and migrant children under the age of six for free basic health care,
including vaccinations.
Public Health Minister Witthaya
Buranasiri said yesterday the government has worked out policy guidelines to
improve basic healthcare services for children and women, including children of
migrant workers.
The Health Ministry moved to
improve healthcare services after learning of a study that found about 7% of
about 5 million Thai children aged from birth to six years had an IQ below
normal and most children of migrant workers had no access to basic healthcare
services.
"In view of the problems,
the government will issue health cards for both Thai and migrant children aged
from birth to six years," Mr Witthaya said.
With the health cards, migrant
children will receive necessary basic health care such as free vaccinations, he
said.
Other services that need to be
improved included pregnancy checkups, healthcare clinics for children,
preschool child care centres and centres to help abused children.
Mr Witthaya spoke after a meeting
at Government House to discuss basic welfare rights under the state's
healthcare system.
The meeting, chaired by Prime
Minister Yingluck, was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister
Kittiratt Na-Ranong, Labour Minister Padermchai Sasomsap and representatives
from relevant agencies.
Meanwhile, Dr Paichit Warachit,
permanent-secretary for public health, yesterday met provincial public health
chiefs and rural doctors to discuss the reinstatement of the 30-baht universal
healthcare scheme.
The scheme, which was introduced
by the Thaksin Shinawatra government in 2001 and abolished by the Surayud
Chulanont government in 2006, will be brought back on Sept 1.
The Surayud government overhauled
the project into a free universal healthcare service which was later maintained
under the Abhisit Vejjajiva administration.
Under the latest incarnation of
universal health care, patients will be able to show their ID cards to switch
their hospital of choice four times a year, compared to the current twice a
year.
The scheme will be carried out by
community hospitals, provincial hospitals and some participating private
hospitals.
Dr Paichit said the ability of
patients to change their hospitals would greatly improve their quality of life
as they can now be treated closer to home in case of emergencies.
However, some observers said the
Pheu Thai-led government is merely trying to rebrand and reinstate the 30-baht
policy to reflect the achievements of its predecessor, Thaksin's now-dissolved
Thai Rak Thai Party.
The resurrection of the programme
also raised concerns among rural doctors who have to deal with increased
expectations from patients.
According to a pamphlet
distributed by government agencies, physicians will be expected to work from
8am to 4pm with no lunch break after the policy takes effect on Sept 1.
Arak Wongworachat, former
president of the rural doctor society, said at the meeting that the required
working hours for doctors are impractical, especially in the countryside where
there is only one doctor treating patients at a single hospital.
Dr Arak said that apart from
handling outpatients, the doctors also have to tend to emergency cases which at
times happen at night.
This would lead to a decrease in
the quality of the treatment, he said.
Jedbadin Phienphantawanich
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