After a social media debate on whether the gold card benefits can cover sex-reassignment surgeries, Dr Jadet Thammathacharee, Secretary-General of the National Health Security Office (NHSO), clarified on December 2, that these surgeries have been part of the national health insurance benefits since 2018, with no exclusion clause.
Dr Jadet explained that the announcement by the National Health Security Committee on the types and scope of public health services, 2022, clearly states that any beauty procedures without medical indication are not covered by the gold card benefits. However, in cases where there are medical indications, such procedures can be performed and claimed.
Dr Jadet cited an example of sex-reassignment surgery for an LGBTQ+ individual at Chulalongkorn Hospital last year.
“The issue of sex reassignment for the LGBTQ+ group is not a matter of…
