Woman launches Change.org campaign for leukaemia treatment
A woman with third-stage leukaemia has started a campaign on Change.orgto try to raise 10,000 signatures to launch an appeal with the Social Security Office to approve medicine for second and third-stage patients.
As of Thursday afternoon, the campaign by Thicharat Maneesrithanon had garnered more than 8,000 signatures.
She called on the Social Security Office to abolish its rule that prohibits doctors from prescribing oral drugs for cancer patients beyond the first stage.
Thicharat said doctors had to use chemotherapy for leukaemia patients beyond the first stage. But chemotherapy cannot cure the disease, while the oral drugs can, she said.
Oral drugs cost about Bt1,000 to Bt1,200 per pill, said Thicharat. Leukaemia patients have pay about Bt200,000 a month for the drug out of their own pockets, which is too expensive for many.
Thicharat had insured herself under the social security scheme for almost 12 years, she said, so it was not fair to deprive her of access to a drug that could save her life.
She said she wanted to fight for her live even though the effectiveness of drugs for third-stage leukeamia patients was very low.
The campaign has been widely shared on Facebook, especially on the page for members of the social security fund club.
Many people have commented that people who have not paid into the social security fund but receive gold-card universal healthcare rights enjoy better medical treatment than the social security fund members.