The cabinet approved a Bt2.996 billion budget from the Central Fund today (Tuesday), as risk compensation for medical personnel and officials from other ministries and organisations who were involved in the efforts to cope with the spread of COVID-19 from July 2021 to June 2022.

The budget is to be split among the Public Health Ministry (Bt1,363 billion), the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (561.46 million baht), the Defence Ministry (Bt385.10 million), the Interior Ministry (Bt420.39 million), the Justice Ministry (92.16 million baht), the Royal Thai Police (Bt52.16 million), the Thai Red Cross Society (Bt111.78 million) and King Chulalongkorn General Hospital (Bt10.13 million).

Deputy government spokesperson Traisuree Traisoranakul said that the Public Health Ministry sought a budget from the cabinet for these officials, who risked their lives when working with COVID patients and have not been compensated, adding that the special remuneration is intended as a morale booster in return for their sacrifices.

She also said that will be another amount of risk compensation, estimated at about Bt3.7 billion, for officials working during the pandemic from June to September last year, which the Public Health Ministry will seek from the cabinet in the next fiscal year.