Thai government addressing problems of free emergency health services

BANGKOK, April 27 (TNA) - Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra says that her government is addressing problems of free emergency medical health services, partly through PR campaigns to create proper public understanding and knowledge of the government-sponsored scheme. Speaking to journalists at Thailand's main Suvarnabhumi International Airport Saturday morning, before departing for Mongolia for a three-day visit, from April 27-29, to attend the Ministerial Conference of the Community of Democracy, Yingluck acknowledged that there are still many private-run hospitals nationwide which are not prepared to participate in the government's free healthcare scheme, as communications on the programme have not yet fully provided to them, suggesting that public relations (PR) works be carried out by officials concerned speedily. Yingluck assessed that the problems could have arisen form miscommunication with private-run hospitals, while people have not fully known conditions on exercising their rights for the scheme. Under the government's free emergency healthcare scheme, which has been implemented since April 1, 2012, all Thais are entitled to receive free emergency treatment under the civil servant service’s medical benefits, the social security fund (SSF) and the universal healthcare scheme. Nationwide hospitals offering the free medical services have their costs reimbursed by the government-run National Health Security Office (NHSO), which can later collect money from the healthcare scheme the patients are members. According to the Thai premier, her government will initially request private hospitals which have not yet taken part in the scheme to help provide free emergency treatment to patients on humanitarian grounds. (TNA)