BANGKOK, The Department of Medical Services (DMS) is set to conclude the study on the proper and essential health check-up for the public to install as a health check-up package in the health security benefits.
The DMS’ Director-General Suphan Srithamma has said that the DMS’ health check-up development committee has been researching and developing health check-up packages for the public, as appointed at the 6th Health Assembly meeting in 2013.
Researches have been conducted in three patient categories, namely the newborn to 18 years old, 18-59 years old, and elders older than 60 years old. The department has standardized the health check-up packages, which will include proper area of inspections according to each age group, and the price range.
The study is expected to be completed in September, before being presented to the Minister of Public Health for pilot implementation at the MOPH’s hospitals. The packages will then be presented for approval at the 8th meeting of the Health Assembly this December, and be forwarded for the Cabinet’s approval for implementation in all hospitals nationwide.
The DMS has also planned to discuss with the National Health Security Office (NHSO) and the Social Security Office that the new health check-up packages should become social benefits.
The DMS’ research on health check-up packages was initiated from the fact that those entitled to the Social Security are not receiving their annual health check-ups, while most of the people eligible to receive this benefit from the National Health Security are unaware of their rights. This has resulted in many people having to pay for their health check-up services on their own.
The 2011 information from the National Statistical Office shows that about 550,000 persons pay to receive health check-up service by themselves, costing up to an estimated total of 2.26 billion baht.
