Home isolation program planned in case hospitals are overwhelmed - Thai PBS World Tonight [20th April 2021]

Thailand’s Medical Service Department has worked out a set of criteria for a home isolation program, where asymptomatic patients will be allowed to isolate at home, in case there is a 4th wave of infections and hospitals are overwhelmed.

According to the department chief, Dr. Somsak Akkasilp, home isolation is for patients who are asymptomatic, in good health, not over 40 years old and who do not suffer from chronic kidney disease, heart disease, coronary artery disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), obesity or diabetes.

However, he assured that for the time being, there are sufficient beds in state and private hospitals to accommodate patients while adding that some patients could not get hospital beds because, when they went for COVID tests at private labs, where the officials at the labs did not coordinate with hospitals to arrange for their admission.

To solve this problem, he said a meeting was held a few days ago to work out a hospital management plan, where the City Hall will be responsible for accepting active finding cases into field hospitals, while those classified as more serious will be accommodated in general hospitals.