Public Health Minister requests 133 million THB for emergency medical centers

BANGKOK, 13 February 2010 (NNT) — Public Health Minister Jurin Laksanawisit has asked for 133 million THB from the Cabinet to increase the efficiency of emergency medical units.

The budget will cover the management of the national emergency call system, especially the operation of the 1669 call center, which is accepting emergency calls from people and contacting 79 emergency medical units nationwide for prompt treatment.

Of the total budget request, 113.4 million baht will support the 24-hour medical emergency hotline and 79 provincial emergency units, 12.9 million THB for the checking of compensation service and 6.8 million THB for staff training.

According to the Public Health Minister, the 133-million-THB request is in addition to the 445-million-THB annual allocation approved for the Emergency Medical Institute of Thailand this year. He said however that the annual budget does not cover the emergency hotline system, as well as the operation of the provincial emergency medical units. The request for additional funds is therefore necessary to enable the operation of the hotline network.