Public Health

  • Covid-19 NewsThailand’s top epidemiologist warns against shortening quarantine

    Thailand’s top epidemiologist warns against shortening quarantine

    Thailand’s top epidemiologist has repeatedly warned against opening Thailand back up to tourism. Now that health officials have started a 1-month study to determine if the mandatory quarantine period can be cut down to 10 days, the doctor is once again warning health officials. Thira Woratanarat, from the Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine, wrote on his Facebook page saying health…

  • Bangkok NewsThailand’s Universal Healthcare adds Smart ID tech

    Thailand’s Universal Healthcare adds Smart ID tech

    “Hospitals and clinics which participate in the universal healthcare scheme have made preparations for this and many are now ready to use the smart ID cards and implement the new procedure.” If you’re a subscriber to Thailand’s universal healthcare scheme, you’ll will be required to provide smart ID cards to verify your identity when receiving treatment and services at participating…

  • Northern Thailand NewsPublic health officers investigate mussel seller after alleged food poisoning death

    Public health officers investigate mussel seller after alleged food poisoning death

    Public health officers are investigating a mussel seller in the Isaan province Mukdahan, which borders Laos, after a man developed food poisoning symptoms sometime after eating the mussels and died. 35 year old Watchara Mada and his father ate the mussels last week. Although his father ate the mussels, Watchara “feasted” on the shellfish, according to his mother, 52 year old…

  • Covid-19 NewsBusiness owners plan to sue Covid-19 infected women who entered Thailand illegally

    Business owners plan to sue Covid-19 infected women who entered Thailand illegally

    Chiang Rai and Chiang Mai business owners are planning to sue the Thai women who crossed the Thai-Myanmar border illegally, evading quarantine and testing positive for Covid-19 shortly after their return. The women worked at entertainment venues in the border town Tachileik. Many confirmed that they worked at the now-infamous 1G1-7 Hotel where a resident claims the women were prostitutes…

  • Covid-19 NewsHealth minister pushes to press charges on Covid-19 infected women who dodged quarantine

    Health minister pushes to press charges on Covid-19 infected women who dodged quarantine

    The 3 Thai women who tested positive for Covid-19 after crossing the Thai-Myanmar border without being screened or undergoing the mandatory 14 day quarantine might face charges. Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul says he has asked authorities to prosecute “to the fullest extent of the law.” Not only could the women face charges for illegal entry, they could also be…

  • Covid-19 News“Koh Samui is still safe”, Covid-19 measures in place – Health Minister

    “Koh Samui is still safe”, Covid-19 measures in place – Health Minister

    Koh Samui is safe to visit … apparently. Even though a woman on the island recently tested positive for Covid-19, the world’s favourite public health minister is assuring the Koh Samui public that health measures on the island are effective and it’s still a safe destination for tourists, presumably the few Thai tourists willing to pay extortionate airfares demanded by…

  • Thailand NewsNew budget in the works for emergency services after “insufficient” funds complaint

    New budget in the works for emergency services after “insufficient” funds complaint

    The Thai government is working on to setting aside more money for emergency medicine after an “insufficient” budget is said to have caused delays in emergency work and response time for emergency 1669 hotline calls. The new budget request comes after emergency medicine expert Dr. Atchariya Phaengma complained that the National Institute for Emergency Medicine, or NIEM, wasn’t receiving adequate…

  • Covid-19 NewsThailand to make AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, hoped to be available by mid-2021

    Thailand to make AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, hoped to be available by mid-2021

    The experimental Covid-19 vaccine by the British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca is planned to be manufactured and supplied in Thailand. If the vaccine is successful, it will be available to the Thai population by mid-2021. A Covid-19 vaccine is seen as a lifeline to save Thailand’s crippled tourism dependant economy as many have said borders will not fully reopen until a…

  • Covid-19 News10 new Covid-19 cases detected in quarantine

    10 new Covid-19 cases detected in quarantine

    10 new Covid-19 cases, including a 1 year old girl, were detected in Thailand state quarantine in the past 24 hours. Health officials say most of the cases are Thai nationals returning home. The travellers arrived to Thailand from Indonesia, India, Myanmar and Ethiopia. 8 cases are Thai nationals returning home. The others are an Ethiopian airline cabin crew member and…

  • World NewsCovid-19 testing units to be stationed along Thai-Myanmar border

    Covid-19 testing units to be stationed along Thai-Myanmar border

    In an effort to prevent a second wave of Covid-19, mobile testing units are being sent out to areas along the Thai-Myanmar border following a surge of cases in the neighbouring country. The Biosafety Mobile Units will be run by medical volunteers along with help from local doctors from the Department of Disease Control. The 13 units will have laboratory…

  • Crime NewsPhuket health chief supports medical cannabis cultivation

    Phuket health chief supports medical cannabis cultivation

    Phuket’s health chief says he backs the production of medical cannabis and suggests those in the island province should look into growing it for research. The local public health office held a workshop at Phuket’s Rajabhat University discussing cannabis production in Phuket. Right now only state agencies, private universities or state approved farmers can produce medical cannabis. Phuket’s public health…

  • World NewsHua Hin schools close after students get fever, families crossed Myanmar border

    Hua Hin schools close after students get fever, families crossed Myanmar border

    Class is cancelled for a week at 2 schools after some students reported a high fever. School officials discovered many Burmese students and parents have been crossing the Thai-Myanmar border. The Thai government recently told immigration police to patrol the country’s natural borders such as along jungles and rivers after Myanmar reported a spike in coronavirus cases. The 2 Prachuap…

  • World NewsGirlfriend of Malaysian man with Covid-19 tests negative

    Girlfriend of Malaysian man with Covid-19 tests negative

    Thai health officials are tracking down those who were in contact with a Malaysian man who tested positive for Covid-19 after he returned to his home country. Health officials report the man’s Thai girlfriend has tested negative for the virus. The 46 year old man, who had no coronavirus symptoms, tested positive for the virus on August 15 while quarantined…

  • Covid-19 NewsThailand’s health officials ready for potential “second wave”

    Thailand’s health officials ready for potential “second wave”

    Thailand’s Public Health Ministry says although it’s hoping for the best, it is preparing for the worst, once the emergency decree is lifted. Acknowledging the risk of a “second wave” of Covid-19 infections as more restrictions are eased, Dr. Sukhum Kanchanaphimai says preparations are underway to ensure the country’s health system can cope. Such preparations include 1.3 million doses of…

  • Covid-19 NewsThai virus expert says it’s too soon for foreign tourists

    Thai virus expert says it’s too soon for foreign tourists

    It’s too early to think about opening the country’s doors to foreign travellers, one Thai public health expert says. With the coronavirus still spreading in other parts of the world, Chulaongkorn University epidemiologist Thira Woratanarat warns that letting tourists in while domestic restrictions are still easing poses a serious risk. Worathanarat wrote a post on his Facebook page, citing the numbers…

  • Covid-19 NewsSurvey shows majority of Thai people uneasy about returning to “normal”

    Survey shows majority of Thai people uneasy about returning to “normal”

    A poll conducted with over 500 workers in Thailand and Malaysia reveals that a majority of Thai people are anxious about going back to work and being expected to return to normal behaviour. The majority of employees want to see significant health and safety measures put in place, with 1 in 3 Thais saying they don’t believe behaviour will ever…

  • Northern Thailand NewsStaff at Khon Kaen hospital call for transferred director to be reinstated

    Staff at Khon Kaen hospital call for transferred director to be reinstated

    Following the transfer of Dr. Charnchai Chanvorachaikul, a former director at Khon Kaen hospital, in north-east Thailand, staff at the hospital are demanding their boss be reinstated in his role. Dr. Charnchai was transferred to the eastern province of Chanthaburi province amid, so far, unsubstantiated allegations of corruption. He has consistently denied the allegation that he accepted bribes from a…

  • Northern Thailand NewsHospital director denies corruption, threatens to sue government health official

    Hospital director denies corruption, threatens to sue government health official

    The director of Khon Kaen Provincial Hospital in north-east Thailand is threatening Public Health Permanent Secretary Dr. Sukhum Kanchanapimai with a lawsuit following allegations of corruption. Dr. Charnchai Chanvorachaikul was transferred to Chanthaburi province in the east of the country following unconfirmed reports of corruption relating to donations to the Hospital Development Fund. Dr. Charnchai completely denies the allegations, which…

  • Covid-19 NewsNo new Covid-19 cases in 65 provinces for a month

    No new Covid-19 cases in 65 provinces for a month

    The Covid-19 situation in Thailand is improving: the Ministry of Public Health announced yesterday that 65 of Thailand’s 76 provinces have reported no new cases for a full month. But it says the situation is “still not stable enough”, and the government continues to screen people returning from abroad and is proactively testing suspected cases. The deputy director-general of the…

  • Covid-19 NewsSweden’s massive public health gamble is failing

    Sweden’s massive public health gamble is failing

    Whilst much of Europe, and the world, is currently in varying states of lockdown, one Scandanavian country has gone it alone with its own take on handling the Coronavirus pandemic. Sweden has no mandatory quarantines and relatively few limitations on moving around. Some schools remain open. Cafes, restaurants and shops, for the most part, remain open and stocked. Same with…

  • HealthHealth Minister pushes the availability of cannabinoid oils to Thai hospitals

    Health Minister pushes the availability of cannabinoid oils to Thai hospitals

    The new Thai Public Health Minister, and deputy PM, Anutin Charnvirakul will allow hospitals to prescribe marijuana to some patients in a move to make the alternative medicine more publicly available. “This week I will sign an order to allow ministry-run hospitals to prescribe the cannabis oil extracts,” he told the Bangkok Post. The minister says he vows to push…

  • Hua Hin NewsTwo year battle for hospital compensation

    Two year battle for hospital compensation

    Thai media 77jowo is reporting that the Hua Hin Hospital and the Department of Public Health have agreed to return more than 20,000 baht to a man from the Netherlands who claims he was ripped off by the hospital because he was a foreigner. Back in September 2016 a man, Erwin Buse, complained to the government watchdog Damrongtham in Prajuap…