Over 600,000 free cancer treatments provided in 9 months

Deputy spokeswoman Ratchada Thanadirek said the free cancer treatments were provided from October 1, 2021, to June 30, 2022, by the National Health Security Office under the Prayut government’s policy that “no one would be left behind” in terms of healthcare.

Ratchada said the policy was aimed at increasing free healthcare services under the gold card system to cover more diseases and allow patients to conveniently receive treatment from primary healthcare units nationwide without being charged or rejected.

She said the government initially expected to provide some 339,000 cancer treatments, but the real figure almost doubled.

After patients are diagnosed with cancer, he or she will need to consult doctors on choosing a particular healthcare unit to receive treatment at their convenience.

Patients can choose telemedicine, tele-pharmacy or home-based chemotherapy if applicable, depending on their condition and the judgement of doctors, Ratchada said.

Tele-healthcare services can reduce expenses on travelling to hospital, she said.

The figure showed patients can access treatment more conveniently in line with the government’s policy to allow access to cancer treatment from anywhere, the spokeswoman added.