Piyasakol to discuss key issues surrounding draft National Health Security Bill with Wissanu

The National Health Security Bill, which is being prepared, will dictate the future of the country’s biggest medical scheme. 
At present, the universal healthcare scheme covers about 48 million people in Thailand, offering most kinds of treatment for free.
The bill, therefore, has much significance for the country’s healthcare sector. 
At the heart of the draft law are many crucial issues, including co-payment and the scope of the National Health Security Office’s (NHSO) duties.
The NHSO has managed the scheme for more than a decade. 
“I will discuss available information with the deputy prime minister,” Piyasakol said on Monday. Wissanu oversees the government’s legal affairs. 
Piyasakol gave an interview after summoning his ministry’s permanent secretary, Dr Sopon Mekton, NHSO secretary-general Dr Sakchai Kanjanawatana, the committee drafting the National Health Security Bill, and representatives of non-governmental organisations to a meeting. 
At the meeting, the public health minister ordered relevant parties to settle their differences over two hot healthcare issues. 
These surround the central procurement of medical supplies for the universal healthcare scheme, which is now mired in uncertainty, and an extra personnel budget for medical workers. 
Piyasakol instructed Sopon and Sakchai to hold discussions on July 22 and 23 to decide how to handle the central procurement of medical supplies, such as antidotes, stents and anti-retroviral drugs, which are reportedly best bought in large bulk, for the universal healthcare scheme. 
The Public Health Ministry has lately insisted that it will take over the procurement mission from the NHSO, after recent legal interpretations confirm the NHSO – which operates the scheme – is not permitted by law to make drug procurements. 
To date, the NHSO has sidestepped the law by assigning the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation to help it make procurements. 
“Their discussions should focus on how to ensure sustainability of the system that must give the same or better benefits to people,” Piyasakol stressed.
The minister also demanded that relevant parties explore solutions to the dispute over whether the additional personnel budget should be taken out of the per-head subsidy for the universal healthcare scheme. 
“Don’t treat it as if the answer can be only ‘yes’ or ‘no’. We may explore a third alternative, or more,” he said, adding, “The bottom line is that the chosen solution should benefit people the most in the long run.” 
Some officials recommend a separation, insisting that the per-head subsidy for the universal healthcare scheme should reflect the actual treatment cost. 
Some medical experts, however, warn that separation will aggravate the shortage of medical staff in rural areas. 
When the per-head subsidy includes an extra personnel budget, hospitals that cover a large number of people will have the money to hire additional staff if needed, they argue. 
“If the personnel budget is attached to just medical workers, the budget will go wherever they go and many doctors will prefer working in town than in rural areas,” said Winai Sawatdiworn, a former chief of the NHSO.