Pheu Thai hit for ‘sowing panic’

Sansern said Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha did not intend to scrap the Bt30 scheme but would improve the system. He said Pheu Thai intentionally gave out false information to create public panic.

“We assure that this government never had an idea to cancel the scheme. We are improving it so that more low-income earners can receive the best healthcare possible,’’ he said.

He said the government was trying to plug loopholes and solve the overlapping of budget management so that the scheme would not become a burden on the country’s budget.

He said some former Pheu Thai MPs had misled the public into burning down the country in the past. “It is a tragedy that Thais cannot forget. Today this kind of arrogant behaviour is not possible because the National Council for Peace and Order and the government have taken charge to protect national security. They [Pheu Thai] are still not ashamed of themselves but are causing public confusion and concern by resorting to lies and tearing down our unity,’’ he said.

“They should do some soul searching to see if they have Thai-ness left. If they cannot do good deeds, they should stop doing bad deeds as a New Year present for themselves,’’ he said.

Pheu Thai caretaker secretary-general Phumtham Vechchayachai yesterday tweeted about reports of the cancellation of the scheme, saying if the government cancelled the Bt30 universal healthcare scheme, most people in the country would be in trouble. He said if the government did not have the ability to manage the scheme, it should allow others to run it.