Civil servants to get expanded healthcare services
Government officials and their families can cover expenses incurred on medical treatment, diagnostic imaging, and radiation therapy, after the Comptroller-General’s Department updated and expanded coverage to 50 items.
The department has adjusted the rates for healthcare services to allow coverage for 50 items from 30 earlier, effective as of June 1.
Kulaya Tantitemit, the department director-general, said that there have been significant advancements in medical practices. In order to ensure that eligible individuals and their families have access to necessary and appropriate medical services in line with the current situation, the department has adjusted the rates for healthcare services for the purpose of reimbursing medical expenses in government hospitals, specifically for Category 8, pertaining to diagnostic imaging and radiation treatment services.
A working committee is deliberating on the setting up of a list and rates for healthcare services to be used for the reimbursement of medical expenses for government officials' healthcare benefits.
The committee comprises representatives from the University Hospitals Network of Thailand, experts from the Ministry of Public Health, the Health Systems Research Institute, the Health Information Services Division, and the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, as well as the Thai Society of Radiation Oncology and Radiological Oncology, Kulaya added.
The committee is considering necessary updates and additions, including an increase in the number of essential items. Specifically, the number of radiation treatment services covered will be increased from 30 to 50 items. These will include services such as proton radiation therapy, electron radiation therapy, intensity-modulated radiation therapy, and four-dimensional radiation therapy. The widening of the coverage aims to provide greater reimbursement options for patients who are eligible for government healthcare benefits, according to Kulaya.
These changes will apply both when receiving radiation treatment at government hospitals and when there is a need to receive radiation treatment at private hospitals (as government hospitals may occasionally refer cancer patients to private hospitals for radiation treatment). These updates will be effective starting from June 1, Kulaya said.
For further inquiries and details, the public can contact the Welfare Medical Division of the Comptroller-General’s Department on 02-127-7000, extension 6850, or 6851 during official working hours. Additional information is available on the department’s website (www. cgd. go. th) under the section - Healthcare/Medical Treatment Information/Regulations and Circulars (Healthcare Benefits), Kulaya added.
