The National Health Security Office (NHSO) is considering listing additional benefits, including cancer treatment, under the 30-baht healthcare universal package or "gold card" scheme as well as offering free screenings to people who are not card holders, according to NHSO secretary-general Jadet Thammathataree.
Dr Jadet also revealed yesterday that the NHSO is looking at potential drugs to add to the national list of essential medicines to help patients in need of affordable medication.
He said the office is contacting pharmaceutical companies to provide targeted cancer therapy, especially for breast cancer.
When asked if cytisine -- a medicine used to help people stop smoking -- will be included in the national list of essential medicines, Dr Jadet said that it is being considered.
He said that the NHSO is putting emphasis on health screening as a preventive measure and would include the 24-rare-diseases health screening for newborns and cancer tests.
However, the number of people undergoing preventative testing has not reached the targeted goal.
Dr Jadet said that only 1.6 million women are screened for cervical cancer per year. If the NHSO allows at-home health tests, that number might rise to five million women, he predicted.
Also, the NHSO is working with the Social Security Office to target non-members, such as factory workers, who are less likely to seek early cancer testing.
He added that the office receives hundreds of millions of baht in funding every year, which could be used to pay for the tests.