Field hospitals receiving COVID-19 patients as hospital beds become scarce

[webfact]

 

By Tanakorn Sangiam

 

BANGKOK (NNT) - The surge in COVID-19 cases in recent days has proven to be a challenge of hospital capacity. Field and temporary hospitals, like the one at Thammasat University, are now receiving COVID-19 patients to ensure hospital beds will be available for those who need them more.

 

The first COVID-19 patients of the April new wave have just arrived at Thammasat Field Hospital, a temporary hospital converted from a 14-floor dormitory building at the university Rangsit campus.

 

Reopened for the third time, this field hospital has been upgraded to accommodate up to 470 patients, with each room now accommodating two people, improving this field hospital’s capacity from the initial 380 beds.

 

Patients admitted here are mostly patients with mild symptoms, who have been transferred from an actual hospital, at which they have spent no less than 48 hours under monitoring after testing positive for the coronavirus. Patients here can have been transferred from any hospital, be it public or private, and university hospitals.

 

Dr Karicha Mairaing, deputy director of Thammasat Field Hospital, said today that the field hospital is expected to be full in 2-3 days, as many hospitals have already made requests to transfer patients here.

 

She said the field hospital may be expanded to other areas, according to developments in patient numbers.

 

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration is planning to convert Bangkok Arena located in Nong Chok district into another field hospital, pending public consultation, which City Hall is positive will not bring about repercussions.

 

The conversion of this indoor sports arena will require the construction of separate washrooms for hygienic reasons, placement of patient beds, and the construction of rest areas for health workers.

 

The venue is seen by the city as suitable to serve as a field hospital, due to its remote location from communities, and good ventilation.

 

With the number of available beds at hospitals dwindling, patients who tested positive for COVID-19, and who are still looking for hospital beds, should call the 1668 hotline for a hospital admission assignment. Alternatively, they can call the National Health Security Office hotline 1330 for assistance.

 

-- © Copyright NNT 2021-04-13

 

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[RichardColeman]

Be interested to know if the reported the tally of infections matched hospital and field hospital admissions. 

[Excel]

1 hour ago, RichardColeman said:

Be interested to know if the reported the tally of infections matched hospital and field hospital admissions. 

Now you are asking the government bodies to be able to count also ???? I doubt if combined they have enough fingers to use as most of them are in the till ????????

[Phuketshrew]

With tourism dying there must be 1,000's of beds available in near empty hotels - why not use these and subsidise the hotel operators? win-win.

[Bkk Brian]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

the field hospital is expected to be full in 2-3 days

Next please

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, RichardColeman said:

Be interested to know if the reported the tally of infections matched hospital and field hospital admissions. 

Be interesting to know how many infected have not gone for testing because of the cost and possible quarantine and are still at large?

[Bkk Brian]

10 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

Be interesting to know how many infected have not gone for testing because of the cost and possible quarantine and are still at large?

Thats a very valid point. Yesterday my wife said to me that if either her, my daughter or me get infected and the infection is mild, we should just isolate and quarantine at home, its possible for us to do that so no problem. Otherwise we'd all be carted off to the local hospital, then transferred to a field hospital because we were mild or asymptomatic.

 

This is exactly the scenario that happened to three 11 year old students and a parent that we know of here in Phuket.

 

Many could be doing the same?

[edwinchester]

Should I get mildly sick, with anything remotely like a fever or dry cough I will be self isolating. No way will I be presenting myself to one of these petri dishes they call a field hospital.

[unblocktheplanet]

3 hours ago, Phuketshrew said:

With tourism dying there must be 1,000's of beds available in near empty hotels - why not use these and subsidise the hotel operators? win-win.

Easy math, if there were 40mil tourists a year, dividing by 365 days gets 100k+ empty hotel rooms in Thailand. This needs to be adjusted down for family occupancy but even at 75,000 rooms, the junta finally has a way to boost the tourism economy! Cannot, too expensive!

[Dogmatix]

More than a year has pased and here we are again on the edge of a precipice and possibly facing an uncontrolled epidemic that will overwhelm Thailand's patchy healthcare system.  Having been spared a ferocious first wave through incredible good fortune the government has not used the time well to guard against the possibility or a serious outbreak apart from congratulating themselves for doing a great job. Hardly any new infectious diseases hospital capacity or ventilators have been added.  The vaccine roll out plan is one of the most pitiful in the world.   Even Burma has done better.    

 

 

[Dogmatix]

6 hours ago, edwinchester said:

Should I get mildly sick, with anything remotely like a fever or dry cough I will be self isolating. No way will I be presenting myself to one of these petri dishes they call a field hospital.

 

It seems to be taking several days to get the results of tests back and probably some time to arrange tests, as many hospitals claim to have run out of test solutions. What do they do with people who might have got it but have not tested positive yet? 

 

Put them in the field hospital?  I got a test result back in two hours from a private hospital that inisted on testing before admitting patients.