Thai National Health Accounts Part 1 Thai Health Expenditure 1994-2008 Part 1 Thai health expenditure 1994-2008 - บัญชีรายจ่ายสุขภาพแห่งชาติของประเทศไทย ตอนที่ 1 รายจ่ายสุขภาพของประเทศไทย พ.ศ. 2537-2551

Abstract

        International Health Policy Program, Ministry of Public Health, 1 National Economic and Social Development Board, the Office of the Prime Minister, 2 Bureau of Policy and Strategy, Ministry of Public Health, 3 The Comptroller General’s Department, Ministry of Finance, 4 National Health Security Office, 5 Social Security Office, Ministry of Labour,6 National Statistical Office of Thailand, Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology, 7 State Enterprise Policy Office, Ministry of Finance 8

         This report provided a systematic analysis of Thailand health expenditure from 1994 to 2008 to updates the series of the National Health Accounts (NHA) and to strengthen the national capacity in term of procedure and methodology of conducting NHA. Thai NHA was classified by types of financing sources, health care functions and health care providers following the Organization of Economic Co-operation Development (OECD) System of Health Accounts (OECD SHA) in order to be consistent with and comparable to other countries.

The result showed that total health expenditure (THE) in 2008 including capital formation of Thailand was 360 billion baht at current year prices increased from 128 billion baht in 1994 (2.8 times). The ratio of THE to GDP was 3.5 percent in 1994 and reached 4.0 percent in 2008. THE per capita in 1994 at current year prices was 2,160 baht and, in 2008, increased over 15 years to 5,683 baht. In 2008, the share of public financing sources was 76.0 percent of THE, after Universal Health Care Coverage (UC) scheme was implemented in 2002. Since then the UC scheme became the major financing agent in 2007. The non-government sources shared 24.0 percent of THE, of which household out-of-pocket payments contributed the major share of 14.5 percent of THE, and other private sectors (e.g. private health insurance, traffic accidence insurance, non-profit institutions and private corporations) represented 9.3 percent of THE. The rest came from others of which foreign assistances played a minor role in the Thai NHA, accounting for of 0.3 percent of THE.

           Thailand spent 80.5 percent of THE on personal medical services and goods but 5.6 percent on prevention in 2008. Hospital was the major health care provider and the personal health care service was the main function of care. In 2008, 258 billion baht, which accounted for 76.0 percent of the total recurrent expenditure on health, were spent on care provided by hospitals, which increased from 132 billion baht or 68.7 percent in 2002-the first year of UC scheme.

Key words: National Health Account, health expenditure, financing source, healthcare function, healthcare provider