Sudarat promises to revolutionise Thailand’s healthcare sector if elected
Thai Sang Thai Party’s key electoral mandate is upgrading Thailand’s 30-baht healthcare scheme and revolutionising the country’s healthcare sector, Khunying Sudarat Keyuraphan said.
She unveiled her party’s policies at the “Than X Forum 2023: Health and Wellness Sustainability” event hosted in Bangkok by Than Setthakij newspaper on Friday.
The former Pheu Thai chief strategist said the 30-baht healthcare scheme implemented 22 years ago by Thaksin Shinawatra’s government had succeeded in creating affordable healthcare for all Thais.
Sudarat was one of the architects of this transforming healthcare initiative, which was adjusted by later governments. It has now become the universal healthcare scheme or the “Gold Card”.
“It is time we brought back the 30-baht scheme and upgraded it to ‘30 Plus’,” she said.
Sudarat added that the concept of “sick care” should be changed to “healthcare”, meaning patients’ treatment should be proactive and take place before symptoms are developed.
“The 30 Plus policy will be implemented alongside the party’s policy of granting 3,000 baht per month to all senior citizens to promote a healthy lifestyle,” she added.
She also said that elderly care was one of the party’s key focuses, as Thailand is fast ageing, with 20% of its population being seniors. The rate of births in the country has also been dropping continuously over the past three years, she said.
“We need to revolutionise our public health system by using modern technology such as artificial intelligence, which will eliminate long queues at hospitals and reduce doctors’ burden,” Sudarat said. “Thai Sang Thai aims to build a platform where doctors can provide medical advice to patients via online chat at any time.
