health promotion clinic, the most local level of healthcare infrastructure of MOPH, pictured here in
Ban Na District,
Nakhon Nayok Province , Thailand's population of 68 million is served by 927 government hospitals and 363 private hospitals with 9,768 primary care health units (SHPH clinics), responsible for Thai citizens’ health at the sub-district level. Some private hospitals are participants in the programs, but most are financed by patient self-payment and private insurance. According to the
World Bank, under Thailand’s health schemes, 99.5 percent of the population have health protection coverage. The MOPH oversees national health policy and operates most government health facilities. The National Health Security Office (NHSO) allocates funding through the universal coverage program. Other health-related government agencies include the Health System Research Institute (HSRI), Thai Health Promotion Foundation ("Thai Health"), National Health Commission Office (NHCO), and the Emergency Medical Institute of Thailand (EMIT). Although there have been national policies for decentralization, resistance to implementing such changes persists, and the MOPH still directly controls most aspects of health care. Thailand introduced universal coverage reforms in 2001, one of only a handful of lower-middle income countries to do so. Means-tested health care for low-income households was replaced by a new and more comprehensive insurance scheme, originally known as the 30
baht project, in line with the small
co-payment charged for treatment. People joining the scheme receive a gold card, which allows them to access services in their health district and, if necessary, to be referred for specialist treatment elsewhere. Although the reforms have received a good deal of criticism, they have proved popular with poorer Thais, especially in rural areas, and they survived the change of government after the 2006 military coup. Then, Public Health Minister, Mongkol Na Songkhla, abolished the 30 baht co-payment and made the scheme free. It is not yet clear whether the scheme will be modified further under the military government that came to power in May 2014. In 2009, annual spending on health care amounted to 345
international dollars per person in
purchasing power parity (PPP). Total expenditures represented about 4.3 percent of
gross domestic product (GDP). Of this amount, 75.8 percent came from public sources and 24.2 percent from private sources. Physician density was 2.98 per 10,000 population in 2004, with 22 hospital beds per 100,000 population in 2002. Data for utilization of health services in 2008 includes: 81 percent contraceptive prevalence, 80 percent ante-natal care coverage with at least four visits, 99 percent of births attended by skilled health personnel, 98 percent measles immunization coverage among one-year-olds, and 82 percent success in treatment of smear-positive tuberculosis. Improved drinking-water sources were available to 98 percent of the population, and 96 percent were using improved sanitation facilities.
Hospitals , a private hospital Most
hospitals in Thailand are operated by the Ministry of Public Health.
Private hospitals are regulated by the Medical Registration Division. Other government units and public organizations also operate hospitals, including the military, universities, local governments and the Red Cross.
Health regions Different provinces in Thailand are arranged into thirteen health regions. Each health region is responsible for about 3-6 million people living in those provinces. It aims to provide better quality medical services for citizens within that region and increased efficiency in terms of transferring patients to other hospitals if there is a lack in capability of care within that region. Health regions in Thailand are organized into the following categories, as of August 2017:
First responders Thailand has an unconventional approach to providing first responders in an emergency: it sends volunteers. Some 65 percent of emergency cases in Bangkok are handled by volunteers. Fully equipped ambulances with professional staff are sent only if required. There are three levels of medical emergency help in Thailand, from first responder (FR) level to basic life support (BLS) level, and advanced life support (ALS) level. Most volunteers have attained the FR level. They are affiliated with foundations and local administrative bodies. Thailand's Medical Emergency Hotline center responds to about 1.5 million medical emergencies each year. About a million involved FR teams transporting patients to medical facilities. BLS and ALS teams handled about 200,000 cases each. ==Urban-rural divide==