'Chaiyachana' criticizes the government for promoting volunteer nurses to build political vote networks, urging funds be used to increase welfare for Village Health Volunteers (VHVs). He warns this move blocks provincial budget cuts redirected to the 'Thai Help Thai Plus' project, which disadvantages local authorities instead of supporting them.,
On 5 August 2026 at the parliament, Mr. Chaiyachana Detdecho, party-list MP and deputy leader of the Democrat Party, commented on the recent volunteer nurse recruitment, which closed on 31 July. He noted the process involved only interviews, clearly indicating a possible effort to build networks for political vote gathering. He believes the government should use the volunteer nurse salary budget to improve welfare for Village Health Volunteers (VHVs) or hire over 7,000 pending Ministry of Public Health civil servant positions instead of recruiting volunteer nurses. He urged the prime minister to reconsider or open a selection process including written exams or medical knowledge tests, rather than only training and interviews, as this role overlaps with VHVs. VHVs serve as frontline health workers caring for bedridden and early childhood development patients but receive only 600-2,000 baht monthly, whereas volunteer nurses earn 15,000 baht monthly. He viewed this disparity as inappropriate, emphasizing many Ministry of Public Health staff remain unappointed and should be prioritized. When asked if volunteer nurses are political vote builders, he preferred to call it network building rather than vote canvassing.
Regarding Ms. Rakchanok Srinok, party-list MP of the Prachachon Party, revealing that most budget allocations go to the Bhumjaithai Party's areas, Mr. Chaiyachana replied that he would not delve deeply but observed that this year's budget cuts over 20 billion baht from provinces. He hopes the cut funds assist local governments, but the provincial budget cuts ultimately return to the central government. He believes national management requires decentralization. Most of the cut budget appears to be allocated to the Thai Help Thai Plus project. He stressed that public welfare and infrastructure development must advance hand in hand.