SSO backs plan for standard cancer care - The Nation

THE NATION April 9, 2013 1:00 am

SSO deputy chief Supatcharee Meekrut said at a meeting last week the 10-million-subscriber fund was ready to implement the move.

SSO official Dr Sonthaya Preunglamphu said subscribers' cancer prevalence was about 300 per 100,000 people. So, the SSO's cancer treatment expenses were rising - cancer treatment fees collected by hospitals from the SSO rose from Bt1.2 billion in 2008 to Bt1.7 billion in 2011. The cost per cancer patient was Bt50,000, which was close to the NHSO's rate of Bt52,500. Therefore, the SSO agreed to use the same protocol as the NHSO in regard to cancer treatment, he said.

The SSO might also adjust its compensation rate to be the same as the NHSO's.

Sonthaya suggested guidelines for doctors about using medicines outside the National List of Essential Medicines should be clearly set and apply to all three funds, and scrutiny of expensive drug usage and negotiations on drug prices should also be clarified.

NHSO chief Dr Winai Sawasdivorn said Thailand saw a 5-7 per cent increase in cancer patients a year, with 2.5 million of them alive as of last year. The most sought-after treatments were for breast cancer, liver cancer, lung cancer, and colon cancer, respectively.

So far, the NHSO and SSO agree in principle to integrate treatment systems in six aspects, he said. They were PR, disease prevention promotion, screening, compensation paid for bills, palliative care for patients, and to make a database of patients.

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Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/SSO-backs-plan-for-standard-cancer-care-30203639.html

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