Labour chief wants better SSF scheme

A labour leader has come out against plans to let the National Health Security Office handle the medical bills of Social Security Fund subscribers, saying what private sector workers want is an improved healthcare scheme from the fund.

Wilaiwan Saetia, of the Thai Labour Solidarity Committee, yesterday said most workers wanted the Social Security Office (SSO), which now oversees SSF subscribers, to boost the quality and efficiency of the SSF's healthcare system and give them access to medical treatment at all public hospitals.

"We have called on the SSO to improve the SSF's healthcare system. This does not mean that we want to put our healthcare services under the NHSO or want a merger of the two healthcare systems," said Ms Wilaiwan.

All healthcare systems, be they the SSF's healthcare scheme or the NHSO's universal healthcare scheme, had flaws, she said.

The government and the SSO must disclose information about the planned merger of the two healthcare schemes and allow workers, who were SSF subscribers, to participate in the decision-making.

The universal healthcare scheme would not give free medical benefits to SSF subscribers if the SSO transferred its healthcare management to the NHSO, said the labour leader.

The National Health Security Act (NHSA) requires that the SSO's medical fund be handed over to the NHSO under the merger plan. The fund is built up from contributions from SSF subscribers, she said.

NHSO secretary-general Winai Sawasdiworn said the NHSO board has appointed nine representatives to hold talks with the SSO board about the merger plan under the NHSA's Section 10.

Conclusions are expected to be reached within a month, said Dr Winai. If the SSO board agrees to transfer the management of healthcare services of 9.4 million SSF subscribers to the NHSO, it must transfer its medical fund worth about 2 billion baht a year to his agency, said the NHSO chief.

The SSF's healthcare budget for its subscribers is now at 2,436 baht per head per year.

SSO secretary-general Pan Wanapinit said his agency was ready to hold talks with the NHSO representatives. It has appointed representatives from employers, employees and labour experts for the talks.