Heart op rules to be phased in

Private-run hospitals using only part-time heart surgeons will be allowed to operate on patients under the government’s universal coverage (UC) health care scheme for another year, despite the scheme’s rule requiring them to hire at least one full-time heart surgeon, the government says.

The one-year relaxation on the requirement has been approved by the board of the National Health Security Office (NHSO), which operates the health care scheme, Public Health Minister Piyasakol Sakolsatayadorn said yesterday after a meeting of the board.

Dr Piyasakol serves also as chairman of the NHSO’s board and the meeting was held specifically to discuss the matter that arose after Mongkutwattana General Hospital, a private hospital offering heart surgery under the UC, was found to not meet the full-time heart surgeon requirement.

“After one year, all hospitals under the UC will have to fully comply,” he said, adding he had assigned Sakchai Kan-chanawatthana, secretary-general of the NHSO, to hold talks with Mongkutwattana over the matter. Mongkutwattana Hospital currently serves more than 200,000 goldcard programme members.

All eight private hospitals, including Mongkutwattana, which are short of such a requirement are therefore exempt for one year, giving them more time to comply, said Prachak Lepnak, deputy secretary-general of the NHSO. “All patients receiving treatment for heart disease at these private hospitals under the UC will be able to continue treatment as usual,” said Dr Prachak.

Rienthong Nanna, the director of Mongkutwattana, said it didn’t make any sense for his hospital to hire a full-time heart surgeon simply to coordinate with the NHSO concerning cases of heart patients referred to the hospital for heart surgery under the UC.

Since the hospital has three heart surgeons working on shifts around the clock, it won’t have to follow the NHSO’s requirement even after the one-year phase-in, he claimed.