NHSO gives approval for hiring of 18,000 carers
Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin, speaking as chairman of the NHSO board, announced that the board meeting on July 7 had acknowledged the cabinet's resolution supporting a healthcare services programme for dependent individuals as part of the government's 2025 economic stimulus policy.
The board also approved in principle the payment of public health services for dependent individuals.
Mr Somsak explained that employing caregivers is a key measure to support the elderly population with dependency needs, which continues to grow. The initiative aims to reduce the burden on families and the state while also creating local employment and generating community income.
The programme has been endorsed by the government's economic stimulus policy committee and included in the national economic recovery strategy.
Following cabinet approval on June 24, 2025, the economic stimulus package--totalling 157 billion baht--allocated 1.115 billion baht to the NHSO for community-based economic development.
The NHSO then developed a framework for managing payments for health services for dependent individuals, specifically for caregiver employment. This funding is separate from the Long-Term Care (LTC) budget under the 30-baht universal healthcare scheme and will follow the Interior Ministry's 2019 regulations regarding community care volunteers and related expense claims.
"From the budget, we expect to hire approximately 18,000 caregivers to serve 106,806 dependent individuals nationwide.
"The NHSO has already prepared the caregiver employment budget for the following fiscal year. A national-level plan for caregiver hiring is also being drafted and will soon be presented to the cabinet. The ratio of caregivers to dependents will be determined by local administrative organisations based on the number of dependents in each area," Mr Somsak stated.
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