The Public Health Ministry gave the green light yesterday for provincial offices nationwide to step forward for purchases and tenders under the second phase of the Thai Khemkhaeng stimulus package, deputy permanent secretary Dr Sataporn Wongcharuen said.
He said he would ask the permanent secretary to give the go-ahead for procurement and tenders for the construction of provincial and district health offices across country. These had been approved by the Cabinet and announced in the Royal Gazette.
If the permanent secretary approved the proposal, the ministry would then send it to the Budget Bureau on November 30.
The cost of procurement and tenders must follow median prices set by the ministry's design and construction division. If provincial and district health offices set higher prices for purchases or tenders, the central committee would return their proposals so prices were set at a proper level before deals go to the Budget Bureau for approval.
The committee reviewing the construction of provincial health buildings, led by Sataporn, has agreed to reduce costs from Bt31 million to Bt25 million.
The committee had also re-prioritised the list of district health offices being built across the country. Sataporn said first priority would be given to district health offices located in remote areas, or areas where existing buildings were badly damaged.
Sataporn said the committee has cut the budget and added some construction items to help communities in five provinces in the South. Half of the procurement items for community hospitals and district health offices had also been checked by the panel.
He said the results of public health purchases and tenders in each province would be put on the ministry's website so people could compare prices with other provinces.
"Every process of procurement must be transparent," he explained.
The spending is split into two parts. Bt11 billion in funds has been approved by the Cabinet, but spending of a further Bt75 billion must be approved by the House of Representatives.
Sataporn said procurement items on the bill would be revised over the next two weeks.