Phetchaburi: Public Health Minister Cholnan Srikaew on Saturday said he was happy with the country's 30-baht plus health care scheme.
The policy, operated under the concept of "One Card for All", kicked off in Roi Et province last Sunday.
Dr Cholnan said the programme allows members of the universal healthcare card scheme, known as the gold card scheme, to gain access to any medical services from any hospital in Roi Et, Phrae, Phetchaburi and Narathiwat provinces during its first phase of implementation.
He said the ministry has a budget of 300 million baht to support the project during the first phase.
The project will expand to the provinces of Phetchabun, Nakhon Sawan, Nong Bua Lam Phu, Amnat Charoen, Nakhon Ratchasima, Sing Buri, Sa Kaeo and Phangnga during the second phase in March.
"We [seek] 6.2 billion baht to run the 30-baht plus health care scheme in the 2024 Budget Bill this year," he said.
The ministry also plans to work with its Social Security Office to extend the project to members of the Social Security Fund to allow SSF members to access any hospital using their ID cards in the future, he said.
Dr Cholnan visited Cha Am Hospital to inspect its services on Saturday. He said the hospital can handle more outpatients and provide faster services thanks to the scheme.
Dr Prakasit Chomchuen, Cha Am Hospital director, said the 30-baht plus health care scheme has helped reduce the time needed for outpatients receiving medical care at the hospital from half a day to one or two hours.
After being diagnosed by doctors, patients do not have to wait to get medicines, he said, as they can receive their pills at drug stores near their homes.
The scheme helped reduce the service time needed for hospitals, and is convenient for patients, he said.
Dr Prakasit said the number of outpatients increased by about 4% after the 30-baht plus health care scheme kicked off.
From Monday to Thursday, the hospital served 3,613 patients, or 903 a day on average.
The majority of them had mild sicknesses, such as headaches and rashes.