Healthcare worker pleads with PM to set up “war room” to manage pandemic

A healthcare worker at the Thammasat University field hospital in central Thailand has urged the Thai PM to set up a “war room” for daily Covid-19 meetings. In a Facebook post, the unnamed medic pleads with the PM to hold daily meetings with his ministers in order to stay on top of developments and deal with issues immediately, as opposed to online meetings every Tuesday and working from home.

According to a Thai PBS World report, the healthcare worker goes on to ask if any government official has ever met with frontline medical staff working tirelessly on emergency wards, to ask them what they need and help them solve the challenges they face.

“People are dying like falling leaves, on the road, at home or anywhere, without anyone to tend to them. Everyone is afraid of getting infected. The hotline system does not offer any help to the patients because all the hospitals are fully occupied. Stretchers and oxygen tanks are scattered along the walkways or in car parks. If this is not a war zone, what is? We have declared an emergency situation for almost 2 years now and the situation today is most urgent.”

The Facebook post goes on to point out that none of the medical workers are to blame for the problems they face as they have been stretched to the limit. It states that their sole concern is saving lives. The poster then asks if it’s too much to ask to have the PM set up a “war room” where he can start holding daily meetings with ministers and other officials with immediate effect.

According to the healthcare worker, once daily new infections top 20,000, medics will find themselves facing unprecedented pressure while still receiving little support.

“If you cannot come to offer us moral support, just pray for us to be strong.”

SOURCE: Thai PBS World