The ministry’s permanent secretary, Dr. Kiattiphum Wongrajit, said tens of thousands of people have called the 1330 hotline set up by the National Health Security Office (NHSO) asking for medical treatment for home isolation. The spike in calls prompted the ministry to offer all hospitals under its responsibility to serve outpatients based on the self-isolation system.
To ease their difficulties, Dr. Kiattiphum said the ministry has decided to open acute respiratory infection [ARI] clinics in hospitals in 14 provinces near the capital so that patients who meet with difficulty in contacting the 1330 service can go there directly to access our medical treatment system.
Dr. Kiattiphum stated that anyone who tests positive for Covid-19 can walk into any of the hospital-based ARI clinics, including those sponsored by the Department of Disease Control and the Department of Mental Health. The medical staff will supply them with the whole course of medications to take home and practice self-isolation.
The ministry said it is capable to care for as many as 18,650 cases a day in all of the hospitals in the 14 provinces. Facilities designated by the ministry are in the provinces of Nonthaburi, PathumThani, SamutPrakan, Ayutthaya, Saraburi, Sing Buri, Ang Thong, NakhonNayok, NakhonPathom, SamutSongkhram, SamutSakhon, SuphanBuri, Chon Buri, and Chachoengsao.
Minister of Public Health AnutinCharnvirakul said he was aware of the issue and that the ministry had added 700 additional workers to handle calls from those in need of medical treatment. (NNT)
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