Number of calls increases, Thailand’s Covid hotline struggles to keep up

Since Covid-19 cases soared in recent weeks due to the highly infectious Omicron strain, the hotline has been getting around 40,000 and 70,000 calls each day, with inquiries requesting beds and medical treatment.

Several people were unable to get through due to the huge volume of calls received each day and the lack of corresponding employees to meet the demands. The National Health Security Office has said it is committed to improving wait times on its 1330 hotline.

“Even though the NHSO has asked people to work as volunteers replying to questions, there are still more incoming calls than they can handle.”

There are a large number of calls to the hotline, and people should not call back with the same issues, according to the secretary-general of the NHSO. Around half the calls have been people asking about the status of their registration for home isolation after waiting many days for an answer from the hospitals with which they had registered. Calls like held up the centre and prevented many new and unregistered Covid-19 patients from reaching the hotline.

The Public Health Ministry will start an outpatient plan for Covid-19 patients on March 1 as an option to home isolation for people who have not yet applied.

Newly registered patients were being forced to wait as the number of patients continues to outweigh hospital beds in numerous places. He advised users to add the @nhso ID to the Line application as a way to communicate with the organisation

SOURCE: Bangkok Post