Patients battling rare diseases in Thailand encounter significant obstacles in obtaining necessary medications, pointing to substantial deficiencies within the country’s healthcare infrastructure.
Registration Hurdles Limit Medication Availability
An in-depth review of Thailand’s health policies and drug registration data revealed that less than half of the medicines recommended by the International Rare Diseases Research Consortium are officially registered in the nation. This limitation severely curtails the range of available treatment options for rare disease patients.
Insurance and Procurement Challenges Persist
Moreover, only approximately 23% of these registered drugs are listed on the national essential medicines list, and even fewer have been procured for hospital use over the past five years. This gap between registration and actual accessibility highlights systemic issues in the healthcare procurement process.
- 46.80% of recommended rare disease medicines are registered in Thailand.
- Only 22.93% appear on the national essential medicines list.
- 31.70% have been procured for hospital use in the last five years.
To mitigate these issues, experts advocate for expedited approval processes, expanded health insurance coverage, dedicated financial support for affected patients, and the formulation of pricing policies specifically for orphan drugs. Such measures aim to improve the accessibility and affordability of essential medicines.
Effective collaboration among government entities, healthcare providers, and pharmaceutical stakeholders is essential to implement these recommendations. Enhancing the registration, insurance coverage, and procurement mechanisms will likely lead to better treatment outcomes and a more equitable healthcare system for individuals with rare diseases in Thailand.
By addressing the identified barriers, Thailand can take significant strides toward ensuring that patients with rare conditions receive timely and necessary medical interventions, ultimately fostering a more inclusive and effective healthcare environment.
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