Health networks warn many projects may be frozen after govt action on ThaiHealth

The government, meanwhile, promised to collect taxes retroactively from organisations that had not paid tax in the last several years

After seven ThaiHealth committee members were removed from their positions by the NCPO on Tuesday, the Thai Health Promotion Movement, which comprises 20 public organisations nationwide, released a statement yesterday protesting against the move.

Kamron Chudecha, representative of Thai Health Promotion Movement, said the NCPO order was unjust because both the Monitoring and Auditing Committee on Fiscal Expenditure and the Centre of National Anti-Corruption had ruled out that no corruption in ThaiHealth’s operations.

Kamron also stated that ThaiHealth was in the process of reforming its rules to tackle conflicts of interest but the removal order was issued in the middle of the process.

“I wonder why there was such an intervention even though ThaiHealth has already complied with the commitment to reform its rules,” he said.

“I am very concerned that there might be a hidden agenda in the appointment of new ThaiHealth board members because the board has the power to direct public health promotion and anti-alcohol and tobacco campaigns,” he said.

As a result of the sudden removal order, Somporn Chaibangyangm, one of the sacked ThaiHealth board members, went to the government’s complaint centre yesterday to submit a petition to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha asking for justice.

 

‘Innocent as of now’

“The sack order was related to corruption allegations, and we are innocent as of now. However, people may think that we are corrupt. This is unjust to us,” Somporn said.

“Therefore, I sent the letter to the PM to explain the truth to him.”

He pointed out that inspections by the Monitoring and Auditing Committee on Fiscal Expenditure of ThaiHealth had already delayed budget distributions. Inspections had also led to the suspension of many projects sponsored by ThaiHealth, and might also affect new project funding proposals and make new approvals harder.

Family Network Foundation board member Wanchai Bunpracha said many ThaiHealth-funded projects nationwide were feeling the effects of the financial squeeze. “Many good projects have had to be abandoned; some organisations may have to lay off their employees. This is a big disadvantage for the public,” Wanchai stated.

In relation to the issue, the Family Network Foundation will gather at Government House today bringing a large ice bucket filled with the names of the projects that had been frozen to protest against the government move. 

Wanchai also said the Revenue Department had tried to collect taxes from the public organisation by arguing that they had been hired by ThaiHealth to do public work and received the funds as earnings. Therefore, they had to pay tax on the income.

Justice Minister General Paiboon Koomchaya said the government action to sack the seven ThaiHealth members was legal because all seven were involved in conflicts of interest and he warned protesters to be aware of the NCPO’s ban on demonstrations.

Paiboon also said tax collection from more than 4,000 ThaiHealth-sponsored projects was legal because their contracts with ThaiHealth involved revenue generation that qualified as taxable.