OPINION

Govt spending askew

I should feel buoyant and full of pride as a Thai citizen to learn that Thailand has been ranked 6th among countries with laudable universal health coverage (BP, Sept 25).

Most significantly, we're the only developing country among the top 10. Isn't that something to boast about? It certainly looks that way to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha when he was giving the speech during the UN General Assembly.

However, if we were to dig a little deeper, a different image might emerge. And the best place to start is how budgets have been allocated to the healthcare system in the past few years.

Between 2017 and this year, the Ministry of Public Health has been allocated a budget of 130.6 billion, 134.9 billion and 135.8 billion baht respectively.

Compare those figures to the budgets allocated to the Ministry of Defence over the same period of 212.6, 218.5 and 227.7 billion baht respectively.

The numbers might not look out of place given the myriad reasons used to justify the requested budgets. However, if you happen to be one of those patients who still depend on the public health system and would most likely have to wade through the heavily congested OPD area and unbelievably long queues to see the doctors -- not to mention the long waiting time before you get your prescriptions -- you might wonder why the defence budgets look so bloated when Thailand hasn't seen any war for a long time or doesn't expect to in the foreseeable future.

And that's only the money perspective. We still haven't touched on the human dimension, specifically the heavy burden and strain which the overloaded healthcare system has been exacting on public hospitals and their medical personnel since the launch of the 30-baht universal scheme.

Given the extremely heavy workload and the almost complete lack of a normal lifestyle in the medical profession, it shouldn't come as a surprise if the health system finds it hard to fill vacancies.

There's nothing wrong to be proud of our achievements. However, to be blinded by them to the point we forget to acknowledge the weaknesses of the existing system as well as to recognise the sacrifice of the medical personnel who deserve the accolade is a different matter.

Let's improve birth control

I agree with Fireman Sam (PostBag, Sept 28) that population control is one of the most important issues facing the world. More people means more pollution, more wasting of natural resources (especially water), more global warming, more starvation and more destruction of natural habitats. And the list goes on.

The great hypocrisy of the "pro-life" movement is they have interfered with family planning programmes throughout the world despite the fact that, according to the UN, over 100 million abortions a year could be prevented by family planning. And that's another good argument for birth control.

Fix the filthy water

Water quality in the Phra Khanong area has deteriorated to the point of being unuseable. I am washing clothes two to three times, because the water does not get my clothes clean.

Are local gangs trying to lower property values? Does this affect individual buildings or the neighbourhood, or both?

We have breathable air, so water is the No.1 priority right now (affecting the cleanliness of people and food).

THAI airlines' incompetence

I am puzzled as to why year after year the government continues to throw large sums of taxpayer money to Thai Airways International. It seems to lose billions of baht year after year, but the government goes on funding it.

It seems to get a new president every year who promises to turn it around, but of course fails for one reason or another.

Is there no limit on how much taxpayer money a state enterprise is allowed to lose before the government decides it is a hopeless proposition?

In a country with so much poverty isn't it about time that someone said enough is enough and shut the damn thing down?

A simple solution

In reply to Christopher Widdows in his Sept 28 letter and his inability to watch the Rugby World Cup.

Anyone wanting to watch all the World Cup rugby matches should download the TVMucho app which has all the UK TV channels. The cost is 350 baht a month and the coverage from ITV is excellent. Enjoy.

Baffled by 'word salad'

I am completely bamboozled by this item: "PEA celebrates its 59th anniversary with enforced energy and electricity innovation to transform and drive the organisation towards the goal of 'digital unity'".

Can somebody please explain what this word salad actually means?