Indian Journal of Public Health Research & Development
  • Year: 2012
  • Volume: 3
  • Issue: 4

Scaling up Emergency Medical Services under the Universal Health Insurance Scheme in Thailand

  • Author:
  • Suriyawongpaisal Paibul1, Woratanarat Thira2, Tansirisithikul Rassamee1, Srithumrongsawat Samrit3
  • Total Page Count: 6
  • Page Number: 220 to 225

1Department of Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, Thailand

2Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand

3Health Insurance System Research Office, Nonthaburi, Thailand

Online published on 19 November, 2012.

Abstract

Obstacles to developing effective Emergency Medical Services (EMS) include a lack of structural models, inappropriate training foci, concerns about cost, and sustainability in the face of a high demand for services. This reported case study from Thailand demonstrated how these obstacles had been addressed through incremental changes via a few initiatives on trauma care. Universal health insurance system and health systems and health financing reforms had taken place during the last 2 decades, and created a window of opportunity for sustainable EMS development in Thailand.

Keywords

Emergency medical service, EMS, Medical transport service, MTS