Costly kidney treatment set to be included under UCS

The National Health Security Office (NHSO) has decided to include haemodialysis treatment in its universal coverage healthcare scheme for patients with chronic kidney disease. The added benefit is expected to take effect on Feb 1.

The treatment is used for advanced kidney failure, meaning patients can continue to live an active life despite the chronic condition.

Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, who also serves as chairman of the NHSO board, said yesterday the move is intended to ease the financial burden of patients who opt for haemodialysis instead of peritoneal dialysis.

The former treatment costs 1,500 baht and this will be covered by the NHSO, Mr Anutin said.

He said the office studied the cost of including it in its universal coverage scheme (UCS) and budget spending plan, and submitted a proposal to the board for approval after finding it to be feasible.

NHSO deputy secretary-general Jakkrit Ngowsiri said the total annual cost of both haemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis treatment is currently estimated at 12.27 billion baht. However this is expected to rise to 13.41 billion baht as some patients will now opt for the more expensive treatment.

He said the NHSO has gone through its budget spending plan and estimated that it will need a budget of 720 million baht to subsidise the new scheme, which can be disbursed from the left-over budget of the 2021 fiscal year.

According to Dr Jakkrit, 32,892 patients are currently undergoing peritoneal dialysis but this number is likely to drop to 27,958 when haemodialysis gets included in the UCS.

A similar number of patients — 30,802 — are undergoing haemodialysis treatment. Of these, 6,546 were recommended to use peritoneal dialysis but they opted to pay the extra 1,500 baht for haemodialysis treatment instead.

NHSO secretary-general Jadet Thammathat-aree said the decision for the state to absorb the extra cost was to promote the principle of “patient-centred care” in which people have more freedom to choose their preferred treatment after consulting with their doctor.

He said the NHSO has also proposed a mechanism be put in place to accommodate the expected increase in patients switching from peritoneal dialysis to hemodialysis treatment so as to prevent the system from being overwhelmed.