UCS to provide free lab tests
 
Beneficiaries of the Universal Coverage Scheme (UCS) can now request free laboratory tests, covering 24 items, pilot from 17 medical technology clinics partnering with the National Health Security Office (NHSO) and planning to engage and expand with more medical technology clinics and the coverage test of the program.
 



The NHSO secretary-general Dr Jadej Thammatacharee said the laboratory was the essential service required for medical diagnosis, patient monitoring, disease prevention, and general health assessment.

The NHSO has pushed for increasing people’s access to laboratory services outside the hospitals so that they can reduce waiting time while relieving hospital crowding.

In 2023, the NHSO started a partnership with the Medical Technology Council (MTC) to implement the “Lab Anywhere” program, in which the UCS members can get free laboratory services at medical technology clinics partnering with the NHSO.

Twenty-four items of laboratory services will be provided to UCS beneficiaries, without charging the fees to them.

Twenty-two of these are tests for patients living with chronic diseases, for which patients must have medical prescriptions to request the services.

The other two available items, which do not require medical prescriptions, are pregnancy tests (four tests a year for each woman) and fecal immunochemical tests for finding colorectal and rectal cancer in adults aged between 50 and 70 (one test every two years.)
Dr Jadej said that 17 medical technology clinics had joined the Lab Anywhere program.

All of them obtain accreditation from MTC or ISO 15189 standard or pass the checklists set by the Ministry of Public Health or Royal College of Pathologists of Thailand. 

UCS beneficiaries can look for a sticker printed with “Medical Technology Clinic in the National Health Security System” pasted in front of the clinics.

“Our partnership with MTC is an uplift for the UCS. We want the beneficiaries to get the best services conveniently and timely, and meet the quality and standard,” said Dr Jadej.
“We are planning to engage with more medical technology clinics that will expand the coverage areas of the program.”




MCT president Dr Somchai Jeadsermanant said that the NHSO had set up a reimbursement system so that the operators of medical technology clinics can claim the service fees from the NHSO, without charging the UCS beneficiaries.

This claim system has helped people access laboratory services without concern about the fees and their financial status, he said.

The MCT is discussing with the NHSO about adding more services into the program, including cholesterol and complete blood count tests.

Dr Somchai added that the discussion also included the expansion of the Lab Anywhere program’s coverage to other government healthcare schemes such as Social Security Scheme and Civil Servant Medical Benefit Scheme.