Plan ahead for crisis, health groups warn govt

Thailand's International Health Policy Programme director Dr Viroj Tangchareon-satient said the global slowdown was already hurting the Kingdom, and would have an adverse impact on people's health, especially the poor and unemployed.

To mitigate these impacts, Viroj told the recent National Health Assembly, relevant agencies had drafted three urgent measures for the government to adopt. These would be put before the National Health Commission, before being submitted to the Cabinet.

The measures are: impact mitigation for laid-off workers; an efficient use of public health resources; and reducing public consumption of alcohol.

Viroj said the government should allow more funding for the National Health Security Office (NHSO) to take care of the two million workers expected to lose their jobs who would need access to the Social Security Fund. He said, they should be able to continue receiving treatment under the universal health-care scheme if unemployed for more than six to eight months.

The government should also allow the unemployed, he said, to transfer their right for healthcare at hospitals under the SSO scheme to NHSO hospitals. The authorities should also disseminate information to help people understand their rights and the steps they should take to change their registration status.

Viroj said some funds should also be put aside to treat people who return to state hospitals because they can no longer afford private institutions.

The second measure, he said, should include investment in primary healthcare services that help create jobs in rural areas, while funds allocated for tertiary care should be sent to areas where complete medical services are not available. The government should also try to produce more medical workers, including doctors and nurses, to increase the capacity of primary healthcare units.

In addition, he said, the government should ensure state hospitals only use drugs from the national drug list. He said most hospitals spent a lot of money buying expensive drugs, instead of cheaper, generic options.

Finally, government should try to limit alcohol consumption by increasing excise taxes and speed up enforcement of the Alcohol Consumption Act.

Health agencies also want the government to revoke the current classification of alcohol products, which are divided into seven categories, under which taxes either overlap or are not high enough. Viroj said the tax should be based on retail prices not wholesale or import prices.

Dr Pongpisut Jong-Udomsuk, of the Health System Research Institute, said his agency had set up a new unit to monitor the impact the economic crisis on people's health, and planned to make a proposal to the government based on the data collected.

A researcher from Thailand's International Health Policy Programme, Dr Jongkol Lerdthienthamrong, said the agency expected more people to suffer psychological problems from stress. He expected the poor, unemployed, elderly and youths would be most at risk.