Public Health office directors told to function as CEOs
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Public Health Minister Wittaya Buranasiri yesterday urged all directors of provincial public health offices to function as CEOs in managing the universal healthcare budget to minimise hospitals' cash crunches.
If no change was made to the universal healthcare budget during Parliament’s consideration, the National Health Security Office (NHSO) would get Bt114.53 billion to run the scheme this fiscal year, he told a seminar for officials on “National Health Security Fund Management” in fiscal 2012.
Dr Winai Sawasdivorn, secretary-general of the NHSO, insisted that the ministry and the NHSO had worked closely in budget management so provincial-level units shouldn’t suffer from a lack of liquidity and could continue serving people according to the government’s policies.
Dr Prasert Khan-ngern, director of Phitsanulok’s Phra Phutthachin-narat Hospital, said during the forum that the NHSO’s budget allocations in the past had created problems for hospitals.
The budget was split into 12 funds, including for specific disease treatment and health promotion, so hospitals didn’t get the full amount.
This year, 40 per cent of the Bt2,500 per-head subsidy was earmarked for officials’ salaries and these small funds first, he said.
Many hospitals didn’t get reimbursed from these small funds because complete documents were strictly required, he said.
NHSO, in trying to solve the issue of participating hospitals running in the red, had paid these overdue bills to hospitals but was still Bt4 billion behind this year.
NHSO also hasn’t fully paid for inpatient treatment yet, he said.
Central and general hospitals had asked for Bt37.03 billion but got paid Bt17.64 billion, while community hospitals asked for Bt30.47 billion and received only Bt23 billion.
Unlike the Civil Servant Welfare Fund and the Social Security Fund, which failed to pay only 0.2 per cent of reimbursements due to hospitals, the universal health scheme was 40 per cent in arrears, he said.
NHSO should change its management methods, he said.
Since the budget process for fiscal 2012 wasn’t complete yet, and NHSO had to start fund management on October 1, the NHSO board resolved to use work guidelines with the budget for per-head subsidy set at Bt2,895 pending final budget approval.
Winai said the proposal had been approved by the Budget Bureau and the previous government at a Cabinet meeting.
If the fiscal 2012 budget were revised before it was passed, the budget framework would be adjusted accordingly, he added.
