Doctor in the 30 Baht Era : Ethics vs Policy
SUKHIT PHAOSA VA SDI, M.D.*, SURASAK TANEEPANICHSKUL, M.D.*, YUEN TANNIRANDORN, M.D.*, CHUMSAK PRUKSAPONG, M.D.**
Affiliation : * Obstetrics and Gynecology Department, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkom University, Bangkok 10330, ** Surgery Department, Police Hospital, Bangkok 10330, Thailand.
It will be a great help to alleviate hardships their thoughts and actions. They will pay none in
of life for those people who live in poverty when order to call physicians' attention to do merit for
the newly elected government proclaims the public the poor now and the next couples of years. It is
health policy : "30 baht for all diseases". As of the clear that in the present economic situation these
year 2001, the majority of Thai population in the poor cannot affort health care for themselves and
rural and urban areas still has very low income per they are blind on their way, going with no direc
capita. We wish that other groups of the healthy and tion.
wealthy people should pray, and give hands to sup If health care system for the poor has been
port the policy. corrected, just a little level better than ever the bud
We encounter this group of poor people get will not be expanded out of control. But doctors
every day. It is bad that we get used to and close must work harder. Do you think "Doctors" are the
to them, but we deviate our attention and pay no key person to accomplish the "30 baht" policy?
attention to solve their problems of heath care. What But they were left untouched. Government and the
we see now is its ragged, worn, and torn image, policy maker should pay attention to them at to "how
which will be very difficult to improve the condi to keep them working harder?" Million thousands
tion. of bath and ethical guidance may apply. But to build
The legal medical organizations such as good ethics in physicians' mind : devotion, sacrifice
Thai Medical Council, Medical Schools and all kinds for the government policy, we must ask, "how long
of societies for medical purpose and practice must will it take? We can deliver good speech daily and
admit the "30 baht" policy. So far we see no sign of all day but will it guarantee them to work harder,
Keywords : Physician, 30 Baht Policy, Ethics
