Rehabilitation Fund Saraburi PAO breaks the mould from local system to public health role model

Saraburi Provincial Administrative Organization (PAO) has long been committed to helping disabled, elderly, and bedridden people. In 2012, in collaboration with National Health Security OfÄce (NHSO) – District 4 Saraburi, Saraburi PAO established “Rehabilitation Fund Saraburi Provincial Administrative Organization”.

As Thailand is becoming an aging society and non-communicable disease cases rise, more bedridden patients in need of intensive care are expected.

Mr. Sujin Boonmalert, Deputy Chief Administrator of Saraburi PAO, said the vision of the fund is to help disabled and elderly people who Änd it hard to access public health, because without a helping hand they will suffer more.

The fund sees the importance of the public sector helping as well as involvement of local communities. Saraburi PAO brings local people into the project because, after patients leave hospital, the best support is from the community.

One of the main operations of the fund is adjusting the residential environment for the disabled and the elderly, and rehabilitating people as they walk with difÄculty. For example, bathrooms are built for the elderly, making the handrails, making the Åoor smooth and creating ramps. Another project involves tool storage for over 30 borrowed medical instruments, including low-rise beds, air mattresses, and oxygen generators.

Mr. Sujin said that the scale of the project stretches across entire provinces and the fund’s success is thanks to collaborations with many sectors, including Provincial Health OfÄce, Provincial Social Development and Human Security OfÄce, hospitals across Saraburi, and clubs for the disabled and elderly, plus four sub-committees in the domains of public health, quality of life improvement, information and performance, and management.

“Every initiative comes from one of the four sub-committees before it goes through to the fund’s committee. This means that every project deals directly with patients,” said Mr. Sujin. “This is a big strength of the fund because every sector truly joins forces and comes to help each other.”

The collaboration is considered a key success of the fund which is essential to the wellbeing of the people of Saraburi. It is an act of “breaking the mould” where the awkwardness of bureaucracy disappears and every sector is willing to contribute to the effort. Ms. Suwannee Sripraj, responsible for managing the fund of the NHSO – District 4 Saraburi, explained: “It is important to note that there is no sole organisation or department that runs the fund. Each partner has their own job but is willing to do the extra work necessary. It is a joint effort by all parties involved that makes the fund possible and makes it move forward.”

“We believe that this fund is a model of decentralisation that can solve public health problems. It really meets the needs of the community and beneÄts the public.”