Health ministry disputes widespread graft claims in hospital funds

Thailand's Ministry of Public Health has pushed back against allegations of significant corruption within community hospitals concerning health promotion and prevention funds. An investigation into 16,346 complaints filed via the Mor Prom application revealed that only a small fraction, 0.3%, involved irregular disbursements.

Permanent Secretary Somruek Chungsaman stated that while 35.8% of complaints were verified as accurate, the majority were related to Key Performance Indicator (KPI) reporting (32.9%), human error (24.8%), or other issues (6.2%). He cautioned against concluding that the funding system is a major source of corruption based on the low figure of irregular disbursements.

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We will not reach such a conclusion because the figure is only 0.3%. We need more information and further investigation.

"We need more information and further investigation," Dr. Somruek said, emphasizing that medical staff remain committed to public health. He noted that not all services generate payments, as some are not reimbursed by the National Health Security Office (NHSO). When payments are made, funds go directly to hospital accounts, not individual staff.

The ministry, working with the NHSO, will focus on the identified disbursement irregularities and implement appropriate punishments. Deputy Permanent Secretary Dr. Sophon Iamsirithavorn added that some errors might be linked to KPI reporting, and the ministry plans to adjust KPIs to reduce staff workload. They will also review over 1.3 billion records to correct errors, noting the reported error rate is only 0.001%. The NHSO secretary-general, Dr. Jadej Thammatacharee, said the agency would enhance information-sharing systems for real-time notifications on healthcare rights usage.

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We check for accuracy and correct any mistakes, particularly in the health promotion and prevention channel, to ensure public trust in the application.