Doctors warn: New change in the law could endanger patients!

Doctors warn: New change in the law could endanger patients!

In Bangkok, the Medical Centers and General Hospitals Association caused a stir when it raised concerns about the proposed amendment to the National Health Guarantee Law. This change would allow the National Health Insurance (สปสช.) to purchase medicines directly instead of merely acting as a payment agent. Critics fear this could have a negative impact on patient care.

In the past the สปสช. did not have the authority to purchase medication itself as it did not act as a service provider. A temporary regulation (Order No. 41/2560), intended to ensure that patients are not left without necessary medication, could be converted into a permanent regulation through this change in the law. But questions arise about the concentration of power: Who has control over the use of billions of dollars when the payer and the buyer of medicines are the same institution?

Doctors are particularly concerned that they will not be able to choose the best medications for their patients because these decisions are centralized. It remains unclear how this will impact patients' treatment, especially if medications are not available on time or according to treatment guidelines.

Healthcare system in Thailand

The healthcare system in Thailand has a long tradition and consists of a public sector, dominated by conventional medicine, and a private sector, which also includes traditional Thai medicine. Most doctors work in hospitals, which can lead to shortages in inpatient care as patients' relatives often take responsibility for it. Thai politicians have aimed to improve health care in recent years, so that almost all Thais now have access to health care, 65% of which is funded by the state.

At its core, there are challenges affecting the current healthcare system. Nursing staff are often only responsible for tasks such as dispensing food and medication. Nevertheless, many people rate health tourism in Thailand positively. The services offered there are very popular due to their comparatively low costs.

Ford and the future of electric vehicles

Meanwhile, the automotive industry is looking forward to developments at Ford. The company is considering halting production of the F-150 Lightning electric pickup truck after production stalled from a fire at the Novelis factory in New York in 2023. Ford plans to focus more on more profitable gas and hybrid trucks because they require significantly less aluminum. While the F-150 Lightning remains the best-selling electric pickup in the U.S. with over 10,000 units sold in the third quarter of 2023, the production halt and financial setbacks of $1.4 billion in the third quarter and $3.6 billion in 2023 speak for themselves.

With regard to the future of electric vehicles, Ford is relying on a new universal system with which a mid-size electric pickup truck is expected to come onto the market in 2027, based on the Ford Maverick or Ranger models. CEO Jim Farley has optimistically suggested that electric vehicles, priced starting at around $30,000, are "not far away."

In this sense, the landscape in both healthcare and the automotive industry is more turbulent than ever. It remains to be seen whether the changes will benefit people in the long term.

For more information on developments in healthcare you can read the article Hfocus read. Details on the electric vehicle situation can be found at Electrek, while the background to the healthcare system in Thailand Wikipedia can be read.