Several government bodies, including Parliament, have run matching donation campaigns in support of Artiwara’s run while Prayut personally gave an undisclosed sum to the rocker yesterday. “If we allocate too much money [to public health], that would affect other development,” he said. A debated issue related to the country’s insufficient health budget is the universal healthcare scheme, which for years has allowed low-income people nationwide to access low-cost or free health services. Developed by former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s administration over a decade ago, universal healthcare has been so popular that every succeeding government, including the junta’s, has kept it alive. Meanwhile, the government has encouraged people to voluntarily donate to charities that keep essential programmes, such as healthcare, on life support.

Source: The Nation Bangkok December 04, 2017 19:07 UTC