At least 250,000 cancer patients benefited from the National Health Security Office's (NHSO) gold card universal healthcare scheme in 2022, up from an annual average of 100,000 beneficiaries in the five years prior, the office has said.
Dr Lalitaya Kongkam, NHSO's deputy secretary-general, stated on Monday that the NHSO has covered at least 12 billion baht in medical fees for cardholders -- some 7% of the NHSO fund budget.
This amount may increase in response to increasing numbers of cancer patients, Dr Lalitaya said.
The gold card's cancer coverage, which includes surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy, came from the NHSO board's policy called "Cancer Anywhere", which aims to provide prompt treatment nationwide. The policy has led to investments in cancer therapy and equipment in the country's hospitals.
Dr Lalitaya said 39 hospitals now specialise in radiotherapy, with many of them being in remote areas that required further investment related to cancer treatments.
Regarding budget control measures, she said the Public Health Ministry has developed the National Cancer Control Programme that helps the scheme with some cancer treatments, including a screening programme for some forms of cancer.
Dr Lalitaya said due to the efforts of NHSO secretary-general Dr Jadej Thammatacharee, targeted medicinal therapy is now included for cardholders, which offers improved access to doctors and prescriptions.
She added that NHSO also helped the cardholders with prescription price negotiation, which has helped cut drug costs in half. She said some essential drugs had not been included in the scheme's list just yet, as they are still being analysed for cost-effectiveness.
"The NHSO is now trying to control its spending for the benefit of cardholders," Dr Lalitaya said.
