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Published on February 28, 2008

Health activists and senior officials have urged the new government to implement seven important issues to improve quality of life, the chairman of the National Health Foundation, Dr Somsak Chunharas, said yesterday.

He was speaking at a conference held by the National Health Foundation, the Health System Research Institute and a network of health organisations to come up with solutions to a range of health issues.

The seven important ones included amending the road accident victim protection act; the control of alcohol advertising on broadcast media; the medical-malpractice victim fund bill; the revision of the medical practice act; the one-nurse-one-community project; the decentralisation of primary health care units from ministry to local administration organisations; and income insurance for elderly people.

Somsak said their new proposal was based on well-conducted research and appropriate solutions to take care of people nation-wide. The proposal will be handed to the public health minister in the near future to endorse and implement.

Ammar Siamwalla, one of Thailand's most prominent economists, asked the new government to reform the protection system for road accident victims. He said insurance firms currently have to pay for injuries suffered by accident victims, but over the past few years only 18 to 20 per cent of victims have sought reimbursement from the insurance funding due to the complicated procedures.

The record in 2005 shows that the insurance premium was Bt9.96 billion but only 39 per cent of the money was used to compensate victims, while 35 per cent was used on management costs. This was ineffective management and people were not be receiving proper benefits.

"The reformation of the protection of the road accident victim act would reduce management costs and victims would receive compensation immediately without any conditions," he said  Dr Bandit Sornpaisarn, the director of the research centre for alcohol problems, urged the new public health minister to issue a ministerial announcement to control alcohol advertising on broadcast media, including radio.

Liquor advertising will be banned on television except from 10pm to 5am and prohibited within a 500 metre radius of schools and universities.

The chairperson of the network of medical malpractice victims, Preeyanant Lorsongsermwattana, said the government should approve the draft of the medical-malpractice victim fund bill urgently because this bill could reduce the conflict between doctors and patients. It could also help patients receive compensation for medical malpractice by doctors immediately.

The fund will spend about Bt875 million in the first year. Private hospitals will be asked to provide Bt123 million and another Bt752 million from public hospitals.

Pongphon Sarnsamak

The Nation