สถาบันการแพทย์ฉุกเฉินแห่งชาติ

Anutin compliments UCEP could sustainably increase access to EMS

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Health (MOPH) compliments the Universal Coverage for Emergency Patients (UCEP), and assigns the Committee in Ensuring UCEP rights to develop the policy achieving the principle of sustainability and equity. For the past two years, UCEP has helped saved 84 percent of all emergency patients in which most of them are under the Universal Health Coverage Scheme.        

          Today (16 October 2019) at Command Building 1 of the Government House in Bangkok, Mr. Anutin Charnvirakul, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Public Health (MOPH), together with Flt.Lt. Atchariya Pangma, Secretary-General of the National Institute for Emergency Medicine (NIEM), attends the tenth Meeting of Emergency Medical Service Board and states that the Universal Coverage for Emergency Patients (UCEP) project which MOPH and related agencies have collaborated with one another to execute. The collaboration aims to help emergency patients in accessing medical treatment in a timely manner with no fee being charged in the first 72 hours; increase survival chances and reduce disability rates. Performance of UCEP in the past two years indicates that 55,987 of 417,956 people who requested for UCEP have been categorized under UCEP criteria. Most of them are under the Universal Health Coverage, followed by the Civil Servant Medical Benefit Scheme and Social Security Scheme, which can save 84 percent of all emergency patients.

          Mr. Anutin adds that he has assigned the Committee in Ensuring UCEP rights to develop the policy achieving the principle of sustainability and equity; for examples, the revision of related regulations of each agency to allow reimbursement; the technical resolutions i.e. receiving appeals and complaints, patient referral, bed reservation, increase inclusivity, develop information technology, increase list of drugs to 906 items and revised two MOPH Announcements to be more correspondence with how the policy has been executed.    

Mr. Anutin said “I would like to compliment every agency who work together to execute UCEP. For the past two years, the patients have greater access to the services. If they have medical emergencies, they can go to either government or private hospitals that are nearest to them to receive a timely medical treatment. We cannot lose the opportunity during golden minutes. We They can call 1669 to call for emergency medical services for 24 hours.”

          Flt.Lt. Atchariya Pangma, Secretary-General of the National Institute for Emergency Medicine (NIEM), said that patients who would fall under UCEP criterion should have the following medical emergencies; 1) Unconscious/Not breathing; 2) Gasping/ difficulties of breathing; 3) Drowsy/sweating/seizure; 4) Acute/critical chest pain; 5) Hemiparesis/ abruptly couldn’t speak clearly; continuous seizure and 6) Other additional symptoms that can affect respiratory system, circulation and neurological system that could lead to deaths. Citizens or health facilities that have inquiries can call 02-8721669 or ucepcenter@niems.go.th for 24 hours.