Rural doctors plead for funds

Protesters used banners to voice their demands that Public Health Minister Witthaya Buranasiri and the government allocate funds to buy medical devices such as X-ray machines, electricity generators for hospitals, sterilisers and washing machines.

Somchaichote said he had asked government for funds to buy new medical-instrument sterilisers, ultrasound machines and X-ray computers to replace old and much-repaired equipment that had been in use since 1981 and could threaten patients’ health.

“ The X-ray machine has been used for 30 years. We have fixed it again and again. Sometimes, we’ve had to borrow one from a nearby hospital as we were afraid ours would release radiation and affect patients,” Somchaichote said.

“ If we do not get this budget from government, the hospital will get into trouble as we have to spend over Bt100,000 a year to maintain the X-ray machine,” he added.

Rural Doctor Society’s senior advisor Dr Arak Wongworachart, a director of Nakhonsrithammarat province’s Sichon Hospital, said all hospitals nationwide had backed the proposal under the previous government for a Bt9.8-billion budget to purchase medical devices. But this proposal was cut from Bt9.8 billion to Bt3.4 billion to cover 600 community hospitals with 60 beds, 100 secondary hospitals with 60 to 120 beds, 69 tertiary hospitals and 26 centres of medical excellence.

The budget was later trimmed further by Public Health Ministry permanent secretary Dr Paijit Warachit in his role as chairman of the committee to screen purchasing of medical devices. The committee cut Bt700 million to Bt800 million of funds initially allocated to buy medical devices for rural hospitals.

Dr Kriangsak Watcharanukulkiat, the Society’s president, said he had made a half-hour plea directly to Witthaya to convince the cabinet to release these funds. He also asked former public health Minister Chalerm Yoobamrung to support Witthaya in defending the budget from the cabinet.

“ Witthaya and Chalerm promised they would help us. Now we have to wait and see,” he said.

Witthaya said the decision on the budget to support rural hospitals rested with the cabinet, but he would represent society’s demand at the cabinet meeting today at Government House.

However, he said the budget to buy medical devices had only been cut from Bt3.426 billion to Bt3.425 billion.

Of this number, about Bt2.049 billion had been allocated to buy respirators and anaesthesia machines, about Bt615 million to purchase X-ray machines and automatic hand-washers, and Bt716 million to buy electricity generators and washing machines.

 

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