Two-year budget proposal method for universal healthcare scheme gets board approval

Public Health Minister Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn, in his capacity as NHSO chairman, explained that the proposal – which would replaced the previous practice of an annual budget-request submission – would result in budgetary consistency for public healthcare. 
Under the proposal, he said, it would be easier to make amendments to the second year of the budget if issues had been identified with the first year with regards to changing factors such as costs, added benefits and policy shifts.
The chairwoman of the NHSO sub-committee for fund criteria and administration, Choomsri Phochanapreecha, said the proposal stemmed from the sub-committee’s discussion with a joint committee comprising the NHSO, the Public Health Ministry and academics as well as input from various groups. 
She said this two-year proposal had also got the nod from the NHSO sub-committee for policy and strategy. 
She said the proposal for the fiscal year 2018-2019 would increase the budget to pay compensation to the public health personnel who received damages while providing services, as per an order by the National Council for Peace and Order.
The budget increase for the procurement of new vaccines and expensive medicines would include the cervical cancer vaccine, which cost Bt300 million a year, she said, adding that the move would also support the procurement of traditional Thai medicine.