Social security board to ease access to cancer treatment resources

The Social Security Board (SSB) has greenlit a plan to enhance the ease of access to treatment resources for cancer patients within the Social Security system, according to an announcement from the Social Security Office (SSO) yesterday.

The resolution was made in a meeting that took place earlier this week. According to Dr Thana Turajane, the chair of the board’s medical committee, the move will simplify the process for cancer patients to locate a healthcare facility that specialises in treating their condition.

The mechanism for implementing this improvement will be an application. This will involve contracting with state-run and private hospitals that specialise in cancer treatment.

Subsequently, once a patient is allocated to the appropriate cancer-treating hospital, their medical record will be digitally shared with all relevant parties. This will streamline the process of hospital referrals, making it less cumbersome for patients.

Moreover, the SSO will have the capability to monitor all cancer treatment procedures and results through the system. These will be reported to the SSB’s medical committee for scrutiny to assure quality, stated Dr Thana.

“All types of cancer are now covered under the social security healthcare system.”

Dr Thana assured that the guidelines detailing how patients and hospitals utilise the service will be made available on the SSO website and other platforms, reported Bangkok Post.

From today, patients diagnosed with any form of cancer can explore a range of state-run and private cancer-treating facilities and seek treatment at any of these institutions, as stated by deputy government spokesman Karom Polpornklang.

In related news, the Department of Medical Sciences in Thailand is spearheading a campaign to encourage women aged between 30 and 60 years old to undergo regular cervical cancer screening. The initiative follows a recent revelation that approximately 10 million sexually active Thai women have never undergone a human papillomavirus (HPV) test.