The Ministry of Public Health recently organized an academic conference to enable health personnel to share their experiences and enhance their capabilities to serve specialty clinics operating outside regular office hours. The primary focus is to supply specialty clinics in response to public demand.
Narong Aphikunwanit, Deputy Permanent Secretary for Public Health, explained that since 2018, the ministry has initiated a policy to equip subordinate agencies with the readiness to provide specialty clinic services outside standard working hours.
This is particularly applicable to specialties with substantial public demand, such as dentistry. By offering these clinics, the ministry aims to alleviate overcrowding and reduce wait times at hospitals during typical hours, while also providing the public additional options for medical services.
He further clarified that service units operating outside regular hours have upgraded their work systems to accommodate changes and fulfill public demand. Currently, 133 such service units are in operation. Of these, 114 are under the jurisdiction of the health ministry’s Office of the Permanent Secretary, while 13 fall under the Department of Medical Services (DMS), five under the Department of Mental Health, and one under the Department of Disease Control (DDC).
According to Dr Narong, for the 2023 fiscal year, two health ministry announcements concerning the fees charged by specialty clinics and compensation paid to their employees were revised. These adjustments were made in accordance with the guidelines of the Medical Council of Thailand on physicians’ compensations and prevailing circumstances. (NNT)
