Caretaker Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin said on Wednesday a pilot project offering medical care at hospitals anywhere in Bangkok for 30 baht will have to be postponed, pending formation of the new cabinet.
The project is planned as part of the universal health coverage scheme (UHCS), also known as the gold card, launched in 2002.
People are typically required to visit hospitals they have registered with under the UHCS before they can transfer to other hospitals for specialised treatment.
This red tape causes inconvenience and dissuades many patients from seeking healthcare and medical services, especially if they live far from their registered hospitals or outside their home provinces.
The pilot scheme aims to reform the national health security system by syncing and sharing health data across multiple hospitals and clinics. It will allow UHCS beneficiaries to obtain medical and healthcare services from any place registered under the scheme.
To access the service, they must show their identification card at designated health facilities.
According to the Thai Ku Fah website, the project has been expanded to 46 provinces with Bangkok the latest to join the programme originally scheduled to kick off next Monday.
Mr Somsak, however, told the media on Wednesday the project has been postponed indefinitely pending the new cabinet being formed and declaring its policies to parliament.
Mr Somsak denied the postponement was due to various offices' lack of preparedness. He stressed the ministry had finalised the groundwork for the project beforehand and worked on it on a trial basis.
“Despite the postponement, the government will push forward the project and see it through,” said Mr Somsak.
Somchai Krajangsaeng, a member of the Thailand Consumer Council's health service sub-committee, said hospitals participating in the service must meet certain requirements before they can accept patients.
They must display the project logo. There also have been meetings to finalise financial arrangements for participating hospitals to ensure they have sufficient funds to sustain the programme in Bangkok.
He also stressed the need for clear communication with the public to avoid overcrowding at major hospitals like Siriraj, Vajira, Phra Mongkutklao and university-affiliated hospitals that can perform sophisticated procedures.
