BANGKOK, 14 March 2013 Rural doctors are protesting the Ministry of Public Health’s planned slashing of special compensation for doctors in rural areas, arguing that the move would make it easier for private hospitals to lure doctors away from the rural areas.
Rural Doctor Foundation chairman Kriangsak Watcharanukunkiat alleged that with the Ministry of Public Health pushing forward the policy of making Thailand a medical hub, private hospitals are making land purchases at border provinces to prepare to accommodate visiting patients from ASEAN. He said it was not probable that these new establishments would drain doctors from Bangkok, and would instead draw upon doctors providing care in rural areas.
Dr. Kriangsak said with the planned cancellation of the special pay next year, there would be less incentives for doctors to stay in rural areas and make it easier for private hospitals to acquire these doctors, as less money would be needed to lure them away.
The Ministry of Public Health plans to do away with the current method of allocating special pay regardless of performance and instead replace it with pays based on duty and workload.
