Disease Spread A Big Risk At Thai Hospitals

[george]

Disease spread a big risk at hospitals

BANGKOK: -- About 400,000 people have contracted infectious diseases in hospitals, a Disease Control Department study has found.

The department's latest statistics released yesterday found that 6% of 6.2 million patients who had received medical treatment at hospitals throughout the country had contracted infectious diseases such as meningitis, malaria, strep throat and influenza.

Most infections were found after patients received treatment at hospitals run by medical institutions under the control of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. The next most dangerous were regional hospitals run by the ministry.

``Illness due to infectious diseases spreading in hospitals is a crucial problem which directly affects patients staying at hospitals for long periods of time. It causes economic damage to the government along with patients and their families," said Arun Phaosawasdi, assistant to the public health minister.

Each year the ministry has to spend at least eight billion baht on anti-viral drugs necessary to cure infectious diseases, which can spread from patients and medical professionals at hospitals to other people. Dr Arun said health authorities were in the process of initiating surveillance and control regulations to curb infectious diseases.

--Bangkok Post 2005-06-09

[devildog683]

having spent nearly a month in a thai hospital when my stepson got bitten by a cobra, i can believe they have a problem with this. myself and my wife had to make sure his area stayed clean. many families didnt seem to care about theirs