Thai telecom watchdog says it will not subsidise Public Health Ministry's new telehealth project
The National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission (NBTC) has rejected the Public Health Ministry’s request for a 3.85-billion-baht subsidy for building a comprehensive telehealth system.
An NBTC source said on Monday the request was rejected with a 4:3 vote at a meeting on Friday.
The NBTC Act allows state agencies to ask for a share of the telecom watchdog’s revenue from concession fees for public interest projects.
The Public Health Ministry is seeking 3.85 billion baht to cover its “Universal Telehealth Coverage” project, the source said.
The four commissioners who voted against the project said the funding will be spent on buying IT equipment, not investing in the telecom network, the source added.
The four commissioners believe that the NBTC should only put a few million baht towards the installation of the telecom network and the ministry cover the rest of the cost.
The source said the NBTC had asked the ministry to resubmit its request covering just the cost of the telecom network, but this suggestion was ignored, which resulted in the request being voted down.
Though this project has been rejected, the NBTC board is ready to consider the project of expanding telecom networks for sub-district hospitals in the next meeting, the source added.
The NBTC uses the same criteria to consider budget requests from all government agencies, the source said.
For instance, it rejected a request from the Royal Thai Army for funds to buy a fleet of drones, saying it has nothing to do with telecom networks.
