NHSO to improve referral system

A 45-year-old-man, who suffered a head injury in a motorcycle accident, died after he was turned away by 17 National Health Security Office (NHSO) state and private hospitals, the victim's sister alleged.

Namphueng Sotthinpintha, 36, a resident of Hua Hin district in Prachuap Khiri Khan province, said that last year her elder brother Mongkon was admitted to a state hospital in a local area after he suffered from acute brain oedema caused by a motorcycle accident.

Mongkon needed emergency surgery to treat the brain injury, but the doctor who was supposed to provide the treatment left to fulfil his monkhood duties. This hospital had only one brain surgeon. Mongkon had to be transferred to another hospital, Namphueng said.

Hospital staff approached 17 other hospitals around the area but met with no success, Namphueng said.

A nurse advised Namphueng to have her brother admitted in a private hospital nearby, but it charged Bt100,000 for the surgery.

"How could I find so much money for the hospital at that time?" she said.

Seven hours later, her brother was dead.

"I don't want to blame anyone but I just wanted to ask them why did they refuse to admit my brother in their hospitals?" she asked.

After her brother died, she filed a complaint with the NHSO, which is responsible for healthcare service to patients registered under the universal healthcare scheme. Five months later, the NHSO paid her Bt200,000 compensation.

Deputy secretary-general Dr Peerapol Suthiwiseth said the NHSO received more than 1,000 complaints a year about referrals.

Some hospitals decline to admit emergency cases because they do not have enough beds or specialists to provide services, he added.

Peerapol said the number of complaints would increase due to the lack of healthcare infrastructure, such as beds.

In a bid to tackle the problem, he said the NHSO had set up a call centre, 1330, to manage referrals. It collects data about the number of beds, doctors and specialists at hospitals. Patients will be sent to hospitals which can provide proper healthcare.

At the same time, the Public Health Ministry is planing to set up referral centres located in 12 areas across. They are aimed at improving the quality of patient referral among hospitals.

According to ministry deputy permanent secretary Dr Siriporn Kanshana, this centre would collect data about numbers of beds, doctors and specialists and provide this information to those hospitals who proposed to transfer patients.

These centres will focus on patient referral management in local areas by setting up a committee. It is expected to reduce the problem of referrals, she added.