16 clinics suspected of fraud in gold card fund claims, Ministry demands repayment of THB 29 million
The Ministry of Public Health investigates 16 clinics accused of fraudulent claims for the Universal Coverage Scheme. Authorities demand repayment of 29 million baht within 7 days.
Thanakrit Chitareerat, Secretary to the Minister of Public Health, revealed on Tuesday that he had visited clinics in Sakhon Nakhon’s Song Dao District to follow up on investigations into irregularities and potential fraud regarding claims under the Universal Coverage Scheme (gold card).
The National Health Security Office (NHSO) of Udon Thani, which oversees the area, had received complaints about 16 clinics potentially involved in illegal activities.
Thanakrit explained that these clinics had submitted claims for a total of 29,148,690 baht from the gold card fund, causing significant financial damage to the NHSO. The Ministry has instructed the clinic operators to review their service claims and return the funds to the NHSO within 7 days. If the clinics fail to act within the given timeframe, legal action will be taken.
Thanakrit stressed that the NHSO cannot overlook actions that undermine public confidence in the gold card system, which provides accessible healthcare services to the public. This misconduct affects the reputation of the healthcare services upon which the people rely. The NHSO must, therefore, conduct rigorous investigations and follow-up actions to protect citizens' rights and ensure transparency in the universal healthcare system.
The NHSO will closely monitor the progress of the case to ensure justice is served and to prevent such incidents from occurring again, Thanakrit concluded.
