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New health benefits for the elderly
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New health benefits for the elderly
Elder beneficiaries of the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) can now access free eyeglasses, adult diapers, dentures and dental implants.
These new health benefits are part of the Thai government’s policy to promote good health and well-being of the elderly.
Dr Jadej Thammatacharee, Secretary-General of the National Health Security Office (NHSO) which oversees UCS, said that Thailand had been approaching an aged society — prompting the Thai government to issue policies and measures to improve the life quality of elder people.
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There are around 18% of the Thai population, or 12 million people, aged 60 years and older. At least one million people become the elderly population each year.
The rising aged population led Ministry of Public Health to announce 2023 as “the year of Thai elderly’s health” to promote healthcare access and the well-being of senior citizens.
Taking part in this movement, the NHSO upgrade the UCS benefits by including new free items often required by elder people. Those include;
1) Eyeglasses
Around 500,000 free eyeglasses, costing around 60 million baht, will be provided to elder people throughout this year.
The NHSO will collaborate with local governments which will search for the elderly having vision problems and distribute eyeglasses to them.
2) Adult diapers
Free adult diapers will be provided to two groups of the elderly — the elder people with low scores (0-6 scores) in the Barthel Index for Activities of Daily Living (ADL), and those living with overflow and fecal incontinence.
Local governments will assist the NHSO in searching for elder people who require adult diapers and propose elderly care plans to the NHSO to get the fund for purchasing the items.
The fund comes from the Long-Term Care Fund, Local Health Fund and Provincial Rehabilitation Fund — the special programs under UCS aiming for engaging local governments in providing care to the elderly, people living with disabilities, and bed-ridden patients.
The NHSO targets to distribute five million adult diapers to 50,000 elder people, under a 500-million-baht budget.
3) Dentures and dental implants
Covered by UCS, around 72,000 dentures and 7,200 dental implants will be provided to the elderly.
In addition to these health benefits, Dr Jadej said the elderly can access healthcare services, medicines, and medical devices under UCS. The services include high-cost treatments for cancer and heart disease and surgeries for joint replacements and cataracts.
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They can also get free treatments for chronic diseases (including diabetes, hypertension and hyperlipidemia) and health promotion and disease prevention services (including vaccines, sugar blood tests, fluoride varnish, and screening tests for heart disease and stroke.)
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In 2023, UCS beneficiaries in most parts of the country can start making appointments for health promotion and disease prevention services via the Thai government’s mobile application Pao Tang.
This online appointment was piloted in Bangkok last year.
This online appointment was piloted in Bangkok last year.
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