Internal strife at the Ministry of Public Health looks set to persist after the ministry's permanent secretary's office (PSO) and the National Health Security Office (NHSO) failed to sign a proposed memorandum of understanding to resolve a dispute over the healthcare scheme.
The agreement, ordered by Health Minister Rajata Rajatanavin, is now postponed indefinitely after its failure to proceed yesterday.
The PSO, led by health permanent secretary Narong Sahametapat, claims the NHSO poorly manages the Universal Coverage Healthcare Scheme (UC), and was responsible for sending state hospitals into a financial tailspin.
Dr Narong suggested a portion of the UC budget be transferred to the PSO for "proper" management.
The proposal was widely criticised as an attempt by the ministry's leadership to seize power from the NHSO.
Earlier, the PSO issued a letter to its officials asking them not to cooperate with the NHSO's scheme.
Critics say this undermined cooperation between the agencies and put healthcare benefits for the scheme's 48 million-plus members at risk.
Last week, NHSO officials met a team sent by Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha, who has expressed concern about the dispute.
Prior to the planned MoU, reports spread claiming Dr Narong, who some accuse of starting the conflict, had been dismissed. Dr Rajata stepped in to propose the MoU and both sides of the dispute met last week to draft the document.
However, they ended up disagreeing over content, according to a source who noted the NHSO wanted the MoU to stipulate the agencies would resume working together again, which would have forced the PSO to revoke its orders to staff.
The NHSO also ordered the PSO not to boycott Dr Rajata's newly formed committees to investigate the conflict.
One is chaired by Ammar Siamwalla, a scholar from the Thailand Development Research Institute. The other, working on state hospitals' financial issues, is headed by former deputy health permanent secretary Yuth Bhotharamik.
The PSO rejected that idea and drafted a separate MoU. Dr Narong did not join the MoU drafting meeting because he did not agree with the idea of an MoU, according to the source.
A group of doctors, called the Thai Public Health Club, has called a meeting at the ministry today, possibly to lend support to Dr Narong.
The club appeared at the ministry in January to hand flowers to Dr Narong after rural doctors wrote to Gen Prayut requesting Dr Narong's dismissal.