BoI to seek public feedback on medical-hub plan

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BoI to seek public feedback on medical-hub plan
By PONGPHON SARNSAMAK
The Nation 2011-07-06

The Board of Investment will seek public opinion on its policy to promote the healthcare industry amid growing concern that the move would weaken the country's medical-care system and violate the health charter.

"The public hearing will be held when the new government is appointed," Hirunya Suchinai, senior executive investment adviser to the BoI, said yesterday.

"The BoI will invite all stakeholders to give their comments and share their views on the policy to support investing in the |healthcare industry, especially the private hospital business," she |said.

The National Health Commis-sion (NHC) has teamed up with the BoI to chalk out a new strategy for the healthcare industry that emphasises urban primary care and reducing some of the ill effects of the government's medical-hub policy.

The BoI last year initiated its policy to position Thailand as an international medical hub by granting tax exemptions to private hospitals with 30 beds and tax breaks on imported medical equipment.

But the policy was opposed by the NHC and health activists, as it had serious implications for healthcare services for Thais.

The BoI's members later discussed appropriate promotions for the healthcare industry and suspended the plan to support medical businesses under the medical-hub strategy.

It also revised its measure granting a tax exemption to private hospitals with 30 beds.

The NHC and BoI formed a panel to set a direction for the healthcare industry that does not weaken the healthcare system and contravene the health charter.

The charter asks state agencies not to issue any policy that supports medical services for commercial gain.

After four months, the panel came up with a new policy framework to promote investment in the healthcare industry that would reduce the inequality in health-care services and conform to the health charter.

To win the corporate-income-tax exemption under this framework, private hospitals with 30 or more beds must provide treatment to members of the National Health Security or Social Security plan for at least three years.

Investors in the pharmaceutical industry must abide by the Food and Drug Administration's good |manufacturing practices and |the good laboratory practices under ISO/ IEC 17025, the main standard used by testing and |calibration laboratories - within two years after they start operating their production plant.

Medical-equipment investors must build their human-resources capacity to design innovative devices.

Investors in businesses that |provide healthcare to the elderly will also be promoted.

"The BoI's new policy for the healthcare industry would benefit society and the private sector. But I'm not sure it will pull attention away from the private sector," Hirunya said.

Dr Thanathip Supapradit, adviser to the Private Hospital Association, said he supported the new policy framework to promote small private hospitals, as it would encourage investors to open healthcare units and provide medical |services to people living in remote areas.

However, he disagreed with forcing private hospitals to accept National Health and Social Security patients.

This should be an option for them, he said.