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Baht/$ 33.60/68 (Bid/Ask)
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13,350
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HEALTH CARE
CHATRUDEE THEPARAT
Investment spending for public health facilities will be increased to 80 billion baht under the government megaproject programme, Finance Minister Surapong Suebwonglee said yesterday.
The new investments will occur from 2009 to 2012, and nearly double the previous budget of 45 billion baht that had been allocated under the megaproject programme.
Dr Surapong said the added funds would finance improvements at state hospitals nationwide and the establishment of specialist care centres for heart disease and cancer.
One thousand community medical centres would also be set up nationwide to provide primary care, while computer networks and IT systems would be significantly upgraded to link hospital databases across the country. Funds will also be set aside for new positions for 2,500 doctors and 10,000 nurses within the civil service.
''The government has not made any major investments in public health for 10 years. These megaprojects are aimed at directly upgrading the standard of Thai public health,'' said Dr Surapong, a medical doctor by training.
He said residents in remote areas should be entitled to a similar standard of health care as urban residents.
The health care projects are part of a broader, 1.7-trillion-baht investment plan to upgrade the country's mass transit, logistics, education, irrigation and public utilities systems.He said the government would hold a conference about the megaproject programmes from Sept 13-15 at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center.
Hundreds of local and foreign investors are expected to attend to hear the latest developments regarding the infrastructure programmes.
The megaprojects are to be financed by local and foreign debt, budget allocations and public-private partnerships.
Dr Surapong said megaproject investment for fiscal 2009 was set at 200 billion baht, a level that was easily affordable for the country considering that public debt was at a relatively low level of 36% of gross domestic product. The legal debt ceiling is set at 50% of GDP.
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