Hospitals warned to treat Covid patients or risk being delisted by Social Security Office

Thailand’s Social Security Office has warned that hospitals that refuse to treat Covid-19 patients risk being removed from its list of contracted medical facilities. Boonsong Thapchaiyuth, SSO secretary-general, says he’s instructed private hospitals to adhere to the regulations and offer full treatment to members of the social security fund registered at those hospitals. According to a Bangkok Post report, the SSO has threatened to cancel next year’s contracts with hospitals that turn patients away.

The warning comes as 2 patients, both members of the social security fund, claim they were refused treatment at private hospitals. Both patients filed complaints with the SSO, according to deputy secretary-general, Ladda Saelee.

The first patient was a woman who went to the private hospital where she is registered, seeking treatment for Covid-19. It’s understood the woman requested the antiviral treatment, favipiravir, and was told the hospital had already given the treatment to its maximum of 100 patients a day. The woman was told she could purchase the drug herself for 15,000 baht. Meanwhile, a second Covid-19 patient was turned away by a private hospital in a similar manner and told to purchase over-the-counter medication.

SOURCE: Bangkok Post