National Health Security Office (NHSO) will introduce new service items, including rare disease treatment, in Universal Health Coverage (UCS) 's benefits package from Oct this year.

The move is seen as the NHSO’s further step to extend the scheme’s coverage and guarantee patients' access to a full range of healthcare services.   

  
Sakchai Kanjanawatana, Secretary-General of National Health Security Office (NHSO), the Thai government's agency operating UCS, said that the expanding coverage aimed to provide new services needed by patients.
 
Among the new service items are;  

- Treatment for hemophilia

- Free MMR vaccine against measles, mumps, and rubella for children age 1.5 years

- Screening test for Down's syndrome, provided to every pregnant woman

- Fecal immunochemical test for colorectal cancer

- Acupuncture and electroacupuncture for patients with stroke

Dr Sakchai said that NHSO would also expand UCS coverage to health services adjusted to fit social distancing and post-COVID-19 context. Those services include;   

- Dispatching medicines from hospitals to pharmacies in local communities. Patients can pick up medicines at pharmacies without traveling to hospitals.  
- Delivering medicines and medical supplies from hospitals to patients' homes.

- Providing consultant to pregnant women and patients require physical therapy at home.
 
- Telemedicine
 
- Home chemotherapy
 
In addition, the NHSO will remain UCS benefit packages for patients who require high-cost treatment including;

- Provide antiretroviral drugs to HIV patients.

- Distribute orphan drug to patients with rare diseases.

- Provide tuberculosis vaccines, recombinant erythropoietin drugs, abortion pills and guiding catheter to patients

- Distribute dialysate and catheter for patients who require continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis.