Samut Sakhon hospital first to kick off wage scheme

<p> &nbsp;</p> <div> &ldquo;The hospital should put measures in place to cover the new payment scheme, which kicks off next year,&rdquo; Deputy Public Health Minister Torpong Chaiyasarn said. &ldquo;It will be a role model for other hospitals and workplaces.&rdquo;</div> <div> &nbsp;</div> <div> &nbsp;The World Health Organisation recognised the Ban Phaeo hospital as the Kingdom&rsquo;s first public autonomous hospital in 2000. The main hospital, which is a 300-bed facility and employs up to 1,000 people, has an innovative management style that enables it to compete with private hospitals. It uses financial and non-financial incentives to retain staff and maintain a low turnover rate.</div> <div> &nbsp;</div> <div> Ban Phaeo Hospital was the first health facility that implemented the Bt30 universal healthcare scheme and was applauded by the international community for its disease prevention programme.</div> <div> Torpong said he was planning to increase the number of beds from 300 to 400 in a bid to provide proactive healthcare services. &ldquo;This would reduce the financial burden on people,&rdquo; he added.</div> <div> Ban Phaeo hospital currently operates nine clinics in Samut Sakhon and nearby provinces including Bangkok. The hospital will soon open a new unit to provide care for the elderly and last-stage cancer patients.&nbsp;</div> <div> The hospital&rsquo;s director, Dr Suraphong Boonprasert, said the organisation had put aside more than Bt10 million to cover the wage increases. &ldquo;We have to increase the minimum daily wage even if it is a financial burden,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;</div> <div> &nbsp;</div> <div> The hospital generates about Bt1 billion per year from the budget allocated by the National Health Security Office and providing medical services. Surapong said the hospital had initially allocated about 45 per cent of its total expenses on salaries, but realised it was only covering 39 per cent.&nbsp;</div> <div> &nbsp;</div> <div> &ldquo;We can still afford to increase the wages,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;</div>