Vajira Hospital rubbishes social media rumours about depleted face mask stocks

Vajira Hospital rubbishes social media rumours about depleted face mask stocks

By THE NATION

Vajira Hospital in Bangkok’s Dusit district said on Thursday (March 5) that the hospital has face mask stocks for operating room staff to last two months.

The announcement by hospital director Asst Prof Dr Jakkrawut Maneerit came in response to a rumour circulating in social media that the hospital’s surgical mask supplies were in a critical condition and that surgeons have to bring their own fabric masks to use in operating rooms.

“Vajira Hospital still has stocks of surgical masks reserved for operating room staff that will last for another two months,” said the announcement. “We are following operating room standards strictly and reserve the masks for surgeons as top priority.”

The hospital also added that since the demand for sanitary face masks in the market had skyrocketed in the past weeks, making it more difficult for the hospital to maintain the stock of face masks, they have employed measures to make sure they have enough face masks for necessary medical personnel.

Sanitary face masks are no longer available at mask dispensing stations in the hospital. Instead, hospital staff are required to receive the masks from their supervisors, who were allocated supplies based on their department’s necessity. However, in case of an emergency such as a mask becoming contaminated by a patient’s fluid, staff can ask for a new one from their department.

The hospital said it had prepared fabric face masks that are washable and reusable for staff who have a low risk of infection instead of disposable ones.

The hospital added that it had already contacted the Department of Internal Trade and expected to receive additional supply of surgical face masks soon.

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30383406