Ministry to limit treatment, expand meds controlsThe Ministry of Public Health plans to limit certain treatments, expand telemedicine and tighten pharmaceutical management to cope with mounting resource pressures, as the Middle East war threatens global medical supply chains, permanent secretary Dr Somruek Chungsaman said. The issue has been raised with the National Health Security Office (NHSO), with the ministry requesting that no additional benefits be introduced under the 30-baht universal healthcare scheme during this period. "We will prioritise essential treatments and limit bed use for chronic disease patients where hospitalisation is not required, in order to contain costs." To ease pressure on facilities, the ministry plans to expand telemedicine services in state hospitals to cover about 30% of outpatient care, up from the current 2–3%. Doctors will be encouraged to prescribe medicines on the national essential drugs list, while a national dashboard will be set up to monitor inventories, prevent hoarding and support long-term procurement contracts.

Source: Bangkok Post March 26, 2026 00:01 UTC