Somsak" proposes a major offensive to seize assets of drug dealers, adding indicators to 6,000 cases/year, believing the problem will be resolved, the government will not have to spend a budget to increase treatment beds, while "Wan Nor" joins in, recommends setting up a KPI for 6 months, the problem must decrease, urges all parties to integrate, pity villagers whose children are addicted to drugs, like living in hell. In the House of Representatives meeting, chaired by Mr. Wan Muhammad Noor Matha, the Speaker of the House, Mr. Somsak Thepsuthin, the Minister of Public Health, answered the oral question from Mr. Phumipat Phacharatraphon, the Pheu Thai Party MP for Nakhon Phanom, asking to solve the problem of drug rehabilitation centers being insufficient for treatment. He said that the Ministry of Public Health's patient capacity can accommodate 10,568 patients with 6,000 patients receiving treatment, accounting for 60% of patients receiving treatment. There are still 4,681 beds available. The number of pat ients is very dense, especially in Korat, with 30 more beds, Surin with 10 more beds, and Kalasin with 10 more beds. There has been an expansion of more beds, but in Nakhon Phanom Province, it is not yet full, but almost 90%. You asked the question correctly, but we are trying to solve it by opening another Thanyalak Mini Hospital in Renu Nakhon District, Nakhon Phanom Province, which will increase another 8 beds. Mr. Somsak said that in terms of solving the drug problem in a tangible way, in the last fiscal year, the government used measures to deal with the seizure of assets, which he proposed to the ONCB committee during the time when Mr. Settha Thavisin was the prime minister. However, the indicators were still low. In one sector, the target was set at only 50 cases. Of these 50 cases, the actions were cases that resulted in the seizure of assets. If we fully implement the indicators, we will see results and I am confident that the beds that are not enough for treatment that you asked about will disappea r because if we only think about treatment, it is downstream. If we do not work upstream, the problems will only increase and the budget will increase endlessly. 'In the fiscal year 67, from October 1, 66 to August 31, 67, the indicator was set at only 600 cases, but more than 2,000 cases were easily processed. The Prime Minister accepted the value-based asset seizure approach. If we use this approach as the front, I propose to increase the indicator to 50 cases per province, which is still low. Let's increase the number to 50 cases per region, making it 500 cases per region, totaling 6,000 cases per year. The beds that we said would not be enough will immediately be left because there will be no sellers. Each seller will have their assets seized. The drugs will decrease. Setting the indicator at 6,000 cases per year, I think that within 3 years, we will not need to use the area for treatment, which is tiring. As for the small cases, bring them for treatment and rehabilitation. Investigate the big cases with them. The drug problem will be solved by the government's effective methods and approaches,' said Mr. Somsak. While Mr. Wan Muhammad Noor also joined the discussion that he sympathized with Mr. Somsak, he is the downstream. If the upstream does not decrease, and keeps sending drugs, no matter how much he does, it is not enough. All agencies must be integrated. If only the Ministry of Public Health, Ministry of Justice, ONCB are not enough, the heroes must be the Interior Police, Ministry of Justice, including seeing that seizing assets is a way to reduce drugs and proposing to set up a 6-month KPI. 'When the water recedes, we must reduce the drugs. This is something we must ask of you. I see that the Prime Minister is serious and I would like to see a 6-month deadline. We don't need MPs to complain anymore because we have cooperated. I would like all sectors to integrate together because it is the suffering of the villagers. If you don't have children addicted to methamphetamine, you won't know. When you ge t addicted, you start to suffer like you are living in hell. So please let this be successful in this government,' said Mr. Wan Nor Muhammad Nor. After Mr. Wan Muhammad Noor finished speaking, the MPs applauded him. This was the first time that the House Speaker had reflected on the drug problem. In addition, Mr. Somsak also answered a separate question from the Chiang Mai MP of the Prachachon Party who asked about the construction of the new Hang Dong Hospital in Hang Dong District, Chiang Mai Province and how to move seriously ill patients if Hang Dong Hospital is not sufficient to provide services. He said that the Ministry of Public Health had requested a budget of over 317 million baht for the construction of a 5-storey outpatient building for diagnosis and treatment in this fiscal year, but it was not allocated. In the fiscal year 2026, it will be requested to continue. As for the insufficient beds, there will be referrals according to the policy of Health Zone 1, from Hang Dong Hospital to Nakhon Pin g Hospital, Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital, Chiang Mai Neurological Hospital, etc. However, if hospitals are built according to the disease, no matter how much is built, it will not be enough. We have to slow down the number of patients. Therefore, he has a policy of the Ministry of Public Health this fiscal year to reduce non-communicable diseases (NCDs) by having over 1 million village health volunteers (VHVs) as the main leaders who will go in to educate the public about food consumption and health care in order to reduce the number of patients. Source: Thai News Agency
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