Free Oseltamivir Available In Thailand From Today

[george]

Free oseltamivir available from today

By John Le Fevre

BANGKOK (thaivisa.com): -- People with pandemic A(H1N1) symptoms will be able to receive government supplied oseltamivir (the generic form of Tamiflu), free of charge at state hospitals and private clinics as of today.

So far 31 private clinics in Bangkok have been certified by the Public Health Ministry (PMH) to prescribe the flu treatment drug, with more clinics in the capital and provinces expected to be authorised this week if they meet ministry requirements.

Dr Somyot Deerasmi, chief of the Department of Health Services Support, said each authorised clinic has received 50 oseltamivir tablets, enough to treat five people with pandemic A(H1N1), originally termed swine flu.

The tablets are being produced by the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO) at a cost of Bt25 (about $US0.73) each and labelled as GPO-A-Flu.

Dr Somyot said that though the tablets will be supplied free, patients will have to pay for other drugs and medical services provided.

A meeting between health officials and clinic owners yesterday went through the procedures that must be followed when prescribing the tablets.

These include only doctors at clinics being authorised to prescribe the drug, and the compulsory reporting of any patients experiencing side-effects. Any patient that experiences a severe reaction after taking the drug must be immediately hospitalized.

Clinics must ensure that all patients wear protective masks while awaiting treatment, and a separate examination area must be used for people suspected of having the virus.

In addition, hand cleansing gel, wash basins and bins must be available at each clinic, while only clinics with a drug-diluting device will be permitted to prescribe oseltamivir for children.

According to Dr Itthiphorn Khanajaroen, deputy secretarygeneral of the Medical Council, "oseltamivir tablets cannot be cut and given to children in smaller doses like other medicine".

Meanwhile, Dr Somyot said clinics that provide medical care for pregnancy and other high-risk category patients will not take part in the program to lower the risk of these patients contracting the virus from visiting pandemic A(H1N1) patients.

According to the PMH there are about 2,100 private clinics in Bangkok and 14,900 in rural areas.

The PMH also said that as of last Friday more than two million home visits had been made by 987,000 public health volunteers in provinces outside Bangkok to educate people about preventive measures against the virus.

According to the GPO, the country had enough oseltamivir to treat 10 percent of the population, with a further 60 million planned to be produced.

As of last Wednesday Thailand had recorded 65 deaths due to pandemic A(H1N1) and 8,877 infections.

-- thaivisa.com 2009-08-03

[mjperry]

I note nowhere in the story is it made clear these are free only for Thais, foreigners are not included in this I understand

Martin

[timonase]

31 hospitals have been certified, each of them got 50 pills????? 1550 pills were given out???

Did i read that correctly?

regards

Timo

[norwayeagle]

Any1 who knows where i can buy Oseltamivir "tamiflu" ? Pharmacists? watson? Boots? hospitals? Since it's free 4 Thais (fair enough ). I just want 2 have a stock in case! Or do i have to take it with me when i arrive back to Thailand?

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[verydumbubba]

Strangely, when its free, nobody wants it - wonder why?

Bubba

[TAWP]

Their budget for this was a whopping $100?

[caf]

Their budget for this was a whopping $100?

Anyone got a better source for this news?

Only Thais?

What is the total budget being granted?

This is probably not happening the way the op suggests

[webfact]

31 hospitals have been certified

Somewhere I read many hospitals have refused to distribute these tablets!

Maybe I got the wrong information...

[ozsamurai]

Had a recent trip to the hospital with a cough, not Swine Flu, but the doctor at St. Louis I spoke with, said the medication (then due in September) was free for all... I made a smart remark about nothing being free for Farang, and he said no it was, so line up at St. Louis, for your free Tamiflu

Oz