Guidelines for the Promotion and Development of Traditional Thai Massage Occupation for Visually Impaired People, agree on the System of Public Health Insurance

Abstract

“Nuad Thai” (Traditional Thai massage) has been representative list of the intangible cultural heritage of humanity, making traditional Thai massage well known. Moreover the trend of healthcare of the consumers is increasingly turning to traditional Thai massage instead of drug therapy. The medical facility that provides treatment and rehabilitation with traditional Thai massage method must be licensed under Health Facility Act, B.E. 2541. And the treatment providers must be registered and licensed as a practitioner of Thai traditional medicine in accordance with Thai Traditional Medical Profession Act B.E. 2556. In the Thai massage occupation of the visually impaired people, there are now more visually impaired people able to pass the exam and register as a practitioner of Thai traditional medicine in Thai massage, which shows the potential of visually impaired people, but government services are not open to the fullest opportunity or support yet. There was a problem in their occupation and resulted in lack of income for their living. Guidelines for the implementation of the public health insurance system, consists of Government Link Health Schemes for Government Employees, Social Security Scheme and National Health Insurance, to promote and develop Traditional Thai massage occupation for the visually impaired people in the form of referral to patients who need treatment and rehabilitation using traditional Thai medicine for medical institutions of the visually impaired who meet safety standards which is a network and under the supervision of public hospitals by disbursing medical expenses from the public health insurance system in order to bring the aforementioned money system to the visually impaired people who practice traditional Thai massage. This is a career enhancement and a further incentive for the professional development of the visually impaired.