Health Commission casts doubt on medical-hub policy
By Duangkamon Sajirawattanakul
The Nation 2010-12-09
A Board of Investment offer of tax privileges to support plans to make Thailand a medical hub may contravene the health charter, National Health Commission secretary-general Dr Ampol Jindawattana told a news conference yesterday.
Ampol also claimed the BOI offer could adversely affect health services for Thais.
According to the National Health Act, the state should not grant support or tax privileges to investors providing commercial health services.
"Although the charter does not prescribe any punishment, it should be socially binding because health services are a humanitarian cause," Ampol said.
He said many of the health services in Thailand were already profit-oriented. Government agencies should not officially encourage profit-oriented health businesses, he said.
Ampol said he would raise the issue at the Health Commission meeting on December 24, which will be chaired by Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.
"The medical-hub issue will prove whether the government will work for everyone or just for some," Ampol said.
Nonglak Pagaiya, assistant secretary to the academic panel on the medical-hub policy, said many people supported the policy because they believed it would generate more revenue for the country.
"But in fact, foreigners coming to Thailand for health services account for just 27 per cent of the total number of foreign patients in Thailand," Nonglak said.
Most foreign patients are immigrants or tourists who happen to fall ill while in Thailand, she said.
Nonglak also expressed concern that Thais would shoulder higher medical costs if private facilities used higher pay to lure medical workers from government services.
The medical-hub policy is among eight issues to be highlighted at the annual National Health Assembly meeting, taking place from December 15-17.