Doctor claims MPs, officials plan to sink health scheme

He said both groups are aware of the growing checks mechanisms of the public sector and consumers, which are complicating their long-standing “joint business” through corruption, he said. “They are now scheming to amend laws and regulations relating to the gold-card scheme and the National Health Security Office that regulates the operations,” he said.
“I can confirm that such efforts really do exist, and are underway as we speak,” Kriangsak said.
Political figures are now gradually appointing doctors and Pheu Thai Party millionaire supporters to serve on the NHSO board of directors. “This effort is aimed at assigning their people to serve later in its subpanels, including the one on fiscal policy,” he said.
Kriangsak said the next step would be to replace the NHSO secretary-general with one selected by political authorities, who would alter the organisational structure to slow down reforms and lessen the power of internal check mechanisms.
Kriangsak was responding to claims about efforts to undermine and eventually deactivate the universal healthcare scheme. He said there would be drastic changes to replace the current government subsidy with per-head contributions from beneficiaries – a similar system used in the employee welfare Social Security Office operation which faces collapse when its funds run out.
Kriangsak said the final step would be to build up social opposition to the universal healthcare scheme and NHSO operations, by encouraging the public to turn to a new NHSO operation under a per-head monthly contribution system.
Kriangsak called on Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra to look into the matter and intervene.