Rajavithi to set Covid-19 action plan

Rajavithi Hospital will lead the development of a model for screening and transferring Covid-19 patients, which will be used as a benchmark for all staterun hospitals to follow, the Department of Medical Services (DMS) says.

DMS director-general, Somsak Akkasilp, said yesterday that as a large state-run institution, Rajavithi Hospital is capable of setting high medical service standards which are required to deal with the coronavirus outbreak.

In the coming days, the hospital will come up with methods of transferring and screening patients. It will also look at ways to provide sufficient care and launch contingency plans.

Dr Somsak said the priority right now is to ensure logistical demands related to testing and treating patients are met in an organised manner.

His remarks came after Deputy Public Health Minister Sathit Pitutecha visited Rajavithi Hospital to inspect its patient management system.

Mr Sathit said the DMS will prepare medical facilities in Bangkok and its surrounding provinces, in case the number of infections suddenly spikes.

The deputy minister said the shortage of hospital beds can be prevented if state-run hospitals and private medical facilities collaborate closely to monitor and assess the number of beds needed based on the number of confirmed cases.

That said, Mr Sathit also said back-up plans, such as establishing field hospitals and converting hotels into venues for treating less-severe patients, are also needed.

Yesterday, Somchai Chatpattanasiri, owner of the Panjadara Hotel and former MP for Nakhon Ratchasima, offered his property in Muang district as a temporary treatment facility.

He made offer through his Facebook, saying his hotel has enough room to accommodate up to 500 patients, before adding the conversion process needed for the facility to take patients will not take too long.