2023-10-26 10:40:00
NHSO Reveals Elderly People Receive Treatment Services at Twice the Rate of All Age Groups
Thailand is facing the challenges of an aging society, with nearly 20 percent of the population aged 60 years and over. To address this, the National Health Security Office (NHSO) has emphasized the need for a support system that provides access to medical treatment and essential health services for the elderly.
Dr. Jadej Thamthatcharee, Secretary-General of the NHSO, recently reviewed data on the elderly in the National Health Security System in the fiscal year 2022. The findings showed that out of Thailand’s population of 66.98 million, 19.65 percent or 13.16 million are elderly. The majority of these elderly individuals, 19.65 percent, possess gold card benefits, while others have civil servant rights, insurance rights, or medical treatment rights.
One outstanding statistic revealed in the data is that elderly individuals aged 60 years and over utilize healthcare services at twice the rate of all age groups. On average, there were 6.33 outpatient visits per person per year among the elderly, compared to 3.53 visits for the general age group. This amounted to 63.96 million outpatient visits in 2022, accounting for 38.22 percent of all outpatient visits across all age groups. In terms of inpatient visits, the elderly averaged 0.22 visits per person per year, compared to 0.13 visits for the general age group. This totaled to 2.17 million inpatient visits in 2022, representing 35 percent of all inpatient visits across all age groups. The elderly’s healthcare utilization accounted for one-third of the total system costs.
The data also shed light on the most common diseases among the elderly. High blood pressure, diabetes, and chronic kidney failure were the top three outpatient conditions, with 8.41 million, 4.73 million, and 910,000 visits respectively. The leading reasons for inpatient visits were viral pneumonia, congestive heart failure with pulmonary edema, and end-stage kidney failure.
Moreover, certain diseases saw a higher proportion of elderly patients compared to the entire population. For outpatient visits, 88.90 percent had enlarged prostate, 83.11 percent had chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and 81.09 percent had cardiac arrhythmias. Among inpatient visits, 85.41 percent were due to senile cataract from cloudy or hardened cornea, 82.57 percent were unspecified senile cataract, and 82.32 percent were due to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with exacerbation.
In terms of hospitalization and mortality, the most common diseases for the elderly were pneumonia caused by viruses, pneumonia, and urinary tract infections. These diseases had a higher proportion of hospitalization and mortality among the elderly compared to other age groups.
To address the needs of the elderly, the NHSO provides certain benefits and support services through the gold card system. In 2022, rehabilitation services will be available for 385,377 elderly individuals, public health services for the dependent elderly will be provided for 176,553 individuals, cataract surgery for 101,615 cases, dental prosthetics for 33,687 cases, osteoarthritis surgery for 8,678 cases, diabetes treatment services for 9.12 million outpatients and 99,000 inpatients, high blood pressure services for 17.26 million outpatients and 33.4 thousand inpatients, and colorectal cancer screening services for 622,000 people aged 50-70.
“The Gold Card is a system that provides the most healthcare for the elderly,” stated Dr. Jadet. The NHSO acknowledges the importance of caring for the elderly and allocating budget towards their healthcare needs. Ensuring access to essential medical care and public health services is crucial in improving the quality of life for the elderly population. The data obtained from the review will continue to guide the development of the health system in providing comprehensive and thorough care for the elderly in Thailand.]
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