Gold card scheme 'not in crisis'

Few hospitals face 'financial distress'

- APINYA WIPATAYOTIN

Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin yesterday said the 30-baht “gold card” Universal Healthcare Coverage scheme is not facing a financial crisis, emphasising its stability with reserve funds for hospitals totalling 46 billion baht after liabilities.

Mr Somsak led the meeting of the National Health Security Office (NHSO) board on Wednesday to address recent concerns about hospital budget deficits allegedly caused by the universal healthcare system's compensation mechanism. Some critics claim reimbursements under the scheme do not fully reflect actual treatment costs.

He clarified that among the 304 million outpatient visits made by the scheme subscribers in the 2024 fiscal year, about 220 million were reimbursed by the NHSO.