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	Athaporn Limpanyalers, spokesman for the National Health Security Office (NHSO), said yesterday that government had earmarked Bt165.77 billion for the scheme for the 2017 fiscal year, which kicks off on October 1.&nbsp;</div>
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	&ldquo;This means the budget will rise by 1.6 per cent or by Bt2.6 billion from the current fiscal year,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;</div>
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	The NHSO manages the universal health coverage scheme, which covers some 48.8 million Thais across the country.&nbsp;</div>
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	With a larger budget, the scheme will allocate a subsidy of Bt3,110 per patient at participating hospitals. It will use the extra funds to take care of people living with HIV/Aids, those with chronic kidney disease and more.&nbsp;</div>
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	The scheme offers most medical treatments for free.&nbsp;</div>
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Funding increase for universal health scheme

THE Cabinet has allocated a slightly larger sum for the universal healthcare scheme for the coming fiscal year.