The Public Health Ministry yesterday ordered four leading medical organisations to submit bids in the controversial purchase programme for stents - artificial tubes used to keep coronary arteries open for heart-attack patients.
The likely bidders are the National Health Security Office (NHSO), the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO), the Department of Medical Service, and the Cardiology Intervention Association of Thailand.
The Comptroller-General's Department will also adjust its median-price list on the stents, which will allow state hospitals to buy the artificial tubes from private manufacturers at a flexible rate. The new median-price list will also allow heart surgeons at state hospitals access to various-sized stents for patients under the civil servants' medical benefit scheme.
Public Health Minister Jurin Laksanawisit said the resolution came after a meeting last week of the Department of Medical Service, the Comptroller-General's Department, and the Cardiology Intervention Association of Thailand. The meeting agreed to postpone enforcement of the Comptroller-General's Department announcement over the list of median prices of stents that state hospitals can now buy from private manufacturers. The announcement was delayed from September 1 tomorrow to January 1.
Jurin also asked the NHSO to improve its supply process for stents to heart surgeons requesting devices of varying sizes. He said the prices and technical specifications for the stent programme under the universal health care scheme must be set by the GPO, the NHSO and the Cardiology Intervention Association of Thailand.
Jurin said the Public Health Ministry would organise another meeting on October 13 to discuss in detail the median price of stents bought under the state healthcare scheme.