The National Health Security Office (NHSO) will sanction 120,000 cataract operations nationwide this year, in a bid to slash the number of patients with cataract-related blindness or visual impairment.
The money for the first 100,000 operations will be disbursed to regional health offices across the country right away, according to Suphan Srithammaprathan, the chairman of the office's cataract committee.
The budget for remaining 20,000 will be reserved for patients who need more complex surgery.
A lump sum of 5,000-9,000 baht will be allotted per patient, depending on the difficulty of the procedure.
The policy is aimed at reducing the number of patients suffering from visual impairment due to cataracts to zero by 2020, said Dr Suphan.
Each year, 60,000 Thais are newly diagnosed with cataracts, according to the Ministry of Public Health.
Apart from the surgical initiative, the NHSO is launching a parallel preventive programme. The campaign will provide training courses on ophthalmology for physicians at state hospitals and local healthcare centres nationwide.
The training will be jointly hosted by the office and the Royal College of Ophthalmologists of Thailand, Dr Suphan said.
In another development, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha Tuesday urged Thai women to take a quick and low-cost screening for cervical cancer, which is known to be a major health threat to the female population.
Speaking after being briefed on a screening programme for cervical cancer known as "Visual Inspection with Acetic Acid" (VIA), the premier said Thai women aged 30 and over should use this award-winning technique.
The VIA screening programme received the 2018 United Nations Public Service Award for its comprehensive cervical cancer prevention and control programme.
Cervical cancer is one of the most preventable and treatable forms of cancer if detected early and managed effectively.
