MOPH revamps hospitalization system as COVID-19 patients seek beds

[Jonathan Fairfield]

 

BANGKOK (NNT) - The Ministry of Public Health has acknowledged a bottleneck in the system which has made it more difficult for COVID-19 patients to get a hospital bed, despite availability. The ministry says the system has now been revamped, which should reduce the waiting time for COVID-19 patients needing to be hospitalized.

 

In an announcement by the Ministry of Public Health, Deputy Minister of Public Health Satit Pitutacha and the Department of Medical Services’ (DMS)Dr Somsak Akksilp, addressed concerns about hospitals in Thailand being overwhelmed by the surge of COVID-19 cases, as the country continues to be hit by the third wave.

 

The Deputy Minister of Public Health has acknowledged hospitals in the past two weeks have faced challenges in finding beds for COVID-19 patients, while saying however, the issue is being rectified with efforts underway to pool the availability of beds at public hospitals, private hospitals, field hospitals, and converted hotels.

 

Serving as the hospitalization request portal for people testing positive for COVID-19, the DMS’ 1668 hotline has been overwhelmed with a high volume of calls. The department has already increased the number of operators to handle more calls at a time, while providing information from the National Health Security Office and Bangkok’s Erawan Emergency Medical Services. More ambulances will be made available to transport COVID-19 patients to hospitals.

 

The Deputy Minister of Public Health has stressed every single COVID-19 patient must be treated at a hospital, a field hospital, or a converted hotel, as patients staying at home many not be able to receive immediate treatment as their initial mild symptoms could develop into a fatal ones later on, while improper home isolation poses the possibility of further transmission.

 

The DMS director general said COVID-19 patients now waiting to be hospitalized should isolate themselves in a room at home.

 

If living with others in the same household, they should always wear a face mask even at home, practice social distancing and good hygiene, refrain from having meals with other people, separate their food containers, and use a separate bathroom.

 

If their household has only one bathroom, the patient should be the last to use the bathroom, and must disinfect the bathroom after use. Garbage disarded by the patient must be separated from household garbage, while breastfeeding patients can continue to breastfeed their child as normal.

Source: https://thainews.prd.go.th/en/news/detail/TCATG210421164744125

 

 

-- © Copyright NNT 2021-04-21

 

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[ThailandRyan]

3 minutes ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

If their household has only one bathroom, the patient should be the last to use the bathroom, and must disinfect the bathroom after use.

So a sick patient will disinfect the bathroom and recontaminate it at the same time..  why not put them in a bubble...

[internationalism]

all not emergency hospital appointments are cancelled, that's what my 2 neighbours heard from 2 different hospitals already yesterday. One of them had recently serious heart diagnosis

[hotchilli]

16 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

In an announcement by the Ministry of Public Health, Deputy Minister of Public Health Satit Pitutacha and the Department of Medical Services’ (DMS)Dr Somsak Akksilp, addressed concerns about hospitals in Thailand being overwhelmed by the surge of COVID-19 cases, as the country continues to be hit by the third wave.

In other news, if you are an expat/foreigner, living/working in Thailand on a one year visa but need to do a nonsensical 90 day report please go to immigration office for your address check, as the online system is broken.

I'm going next week to tell them for the 48th time I'm still at the same abode.

P.S. don't catch Covid during the journey.

[connda]

On 4/21/2021 at 5:55 PM, Jonathan Fairfield said:

The Ministry of Public Health has acknowledged a bottleneck in the system which has made it more difficult for COVID-19 patients to get a hospital bed, despite availability.

Toss asymptomatic cases in the hospital and clog up the works.
What the h*** do they expect.
Try what other countries are doing.  Home isolation for asymptomatic cases and if they are caught outside - hefty fines and jail time.

[connda]

On 4/21/2021 at 6:07 PM, internationalism said:

all not emergency hospital appointments are cancelled, that's what my 2 neighbours heard from 2 different hospitals already yesterday. One of them had recently serious heart diagnosis

At the local Amphur level government hospital it is business as usual.

[Travel Dude]

In fact I do not want to react. Government and the likes are organising this as if they were 5 year old kids... 

Is there really nobody on a position of power who can organise this properly???

I offer my services, free of charge.