FRIDAY, March 29, 2024
nationthailand

PM says sorry over ThaiHealth turmoil

PM says sorry over ThaiHealth turmoil

Prayut backs down after doctors accuse govt of interference in personnel matters.

PRIME MINISTER Prayut Chan-o-cha has softened his stance over the controversy involving personnel changes at the Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth), offering his apology to senior doctors upset about what was perceived as government interference.
He said sorry three times yesterday to some senior doctors while visiting the Stock Exchange of Thailand. He made the apology while giving a speech to executives of capital and securities companies and later in an interview to the media.
“I am terribly sorry. I am really sorry. I did not want to destroy them,” he said, referring to the recent removal of seven of ThaiHealth’s nine specialist board members.
The PM said he had accused the removed board members of being involved in corruption. It was just a temporary suspension to pave the way for fixing problems.
Prayut said he would ensure the ThaiHealth board members would be able to work on Monday.
The prime minister yesterday said he would fill the empty positions on the ThaiHealth board on Monday to let the committee operate again properly.
“I don’t want to order everything. The NCPO doesn’t want to take over ThaiHealth. Why should we?” Prayut said.
On January 5, the military’s ruling National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) had issued an order the firing of seven ThaiHealth board members. This led to difficulties in the committee’s operations and the selection of a new ThaiHealth manager, because the board was incomplete. 
Dr Wichai Chokwiwat, one of the fired board members, said the selection of the new board members was highly influenced by political powers.
There was a rumour that the new ThaiHealth board members had been selected in advance from the Army, people who worked closely with the government’s Pracha Rath projects and big business.
Wichai said he had also heard these rumours and he was quite sure that there had been such planning.
“I heard that there was a talk about who will be appointed to seat in the seven vacant positions in ThaiHealth committee. I don’t know who were planned to sit in these positions, but I’m sure that the selection committee will take extra care in order to appoint someone in these positions,” he said.
Regarding the selection of ThaiHealth’s manager, he said it would be hard to interfere in the process because ThaiHealth has very strict rules on appointment of the manager.
“However, we have to keep a close eye on the selection process to make sure there will be no interference in these processes,” he said.
He said there were seven ThaiHealth manager candidates in the final round from 21 applications, but he had no clue who the seven candidates were.
It was reported that selection of ThaiHealth’s manager has already been finalised and the new manager will be named this week. 
Regarding speculation that two of the fired ThaiHealth board members, Somporn Chaibangyang and Ennu Suesuwan, may return to the board, Somporn said he was unaware of any such move and he was sure he would not be reinstated.
Meanwhile, 20 members of the Marginalised People’s Healthcare Network sent a petition to the PM yesterday at the Public Service Centre urging him not to interfere with the selection of ThaiHealth board members and its manager. They also urged him to unlock project funds and stop taxation on the public organisation.
RELATED
nationthailand