ThaiHealth law change to 'fix loophoples'
More Transparency needed,says Paiboon
PATSARA JIKKHAM
Legislation governing the operations of the Thai Health Promotion Foundation(ThaiHealth) will be amended to ensure efficiency and transparency following the budget spending scandal.
The Office of the Auditor-General and ThaiHealth have agreed to close loopholes in the current law, despite not seeing eye-to-eye over the foundation's budget spending.
ThaiHealth and the Centre for National Anti- Corruption,chaired by Justice Minister Paiboon Koomchaya,agreed to tighten the 2001 Health Promotion Foundation Act after the misspending allegations.
Gen Paiboon said three provision of the legislation will be amended to make sure the foundation's spending is efficient and transparent. One provision deals with the definition of"health promotion",the second budget spending, and the third administrative organisation.
The minister said the current definition of health promotion in Section 3 of the legislation was too broad and could be exploited,while Section 10 ,which deals with budget,seems to give ThaiHealth free rein over its spending.
Gen Paiboon said there also seemed to be an"overlap" of roles and administrative organisation.
The structure of boards and committees were also complicated, with some individuals serving as both ThaiHealth board members and running their own foundations, he added.
ThaiHeath's finances are being scrutinised after the National Council for Peace and Order's audit panel found certain Projects funded by the foundation's budget were not in line with its objective of supporting health promotion.
Gen Piboon insisted the inquiry and the law changes which will follow were not prompted by any signs of corruption at ThaiHealth.
If any emerged later they would be dealt with, he said.
"But its budget is state money, so the spending must be made efficient. With [authorisation given by] Section 10, ThaiHealth can apparently do whatever it wants, and we don't think it's alright", he said.
Currently, ThaiHealth is directly funded by 2% additional levy on top of the excise taxes, or "sin taxes" on alcoholic beverages and tobacco products, equivalent to 3-4 billion baht annually.
He said some of the controversial projects were also mentioned during the meeting in response to public scepticism about the foundation's spending.
Among the items are an alleged allocation of 96.5 million baht given to 14 projects at the Thai Press Development Foundation between 2008 and 2015.
Asked about the state audit's proposal involves Section 10 which will be discussed in the amendment.
"Both ThaiHealth and the auditor have to look at these point in detail to eliminate any obscurity or doubts. I've told the meeting that while we all want to see efficient spending, we should not be afriad of a change and we should be prepared for it.
"Whatever the change is,it must bring benefits to the public and cast no doubts on ThaiHealth's [tranparency]," he said.
He said he will inform Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and and Public Health Minister Piyasakol Saklsatayadorn of the agreement reached at the meeting.The Public Health Ministry is expected to discuss today the legal amendment push, he said.
Speaking after the meeting, ThaiHealth's acting manager supreeda Adulyanon said the foundation will next meet Public Health Ministry officials to discuss the legal amendments.
He also said he has clarified the misspending allegations to the meeting but declined to go into details.