The Public Health Ministry will push forward with four urgent health development projects focusing on creating unity among health personnel and developing the standard of health services.
Narong Sahametapat, permanent secretary for public health, summoned senior officials yesterday to brief them on the development projects he proposed to improve services to navy chief Adm Narong Pipatanasai, the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO)'s head of social and psychological affairs on Saturday.
Eleven projects — divided into urgent, medium and long-term — were approved, said the permanent secretary.
Four of the 11 are urgent projects to be launched by the middle of this month.
The first is to build unity among health personnel nationwide following years of divisive politics.
The Department of Mental Health, health inspectors-general and the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s medical services department have been assigned this task.
The second project is to improve health services such as increasing health units, extending opening hours, reducing waiting times, enhancing quality of emergency care and improving healthcare services for the elderly and the disabled.
Deputy permanent secretary Vachira Pengchan is to head this project.
Dr Surachet Satitniramai, a inspector-general for Region 10, has been assigned to improve distribution and provide access to medicine for all.
Health executives are now discussing with the Healthcare Accreditation Institute if it can also consider the ministry’s proposed standards and ethics as part of hospital evaluation throughout the country.
The third project proposed by Dr Narong involves boosting the morale of health personnel.
This will involve offering fair wages, bringing the large number of temporary and contract employees into the civil service system, and offering better compensation and welfare to those who miss out on a job in the civil service.
Assistant permanent secretary Suthep Watcharapiyanan will head this project .
The fourth urgent project is creating a system of good governance and a monitoring mechanism to examine and ensure transparency by the ministry and its officials.
Dr Vachira and ministry advisor Supakit Sirilak are responsible for this undertaking.
Dr Narong also ordered every department and division to summarise their 2014-2015 budget plans by tomorrow to present to Adm Narong.
The Public Health Ministry is yet to reveal details of its medium-stage and long-term projects.