The Public Health Ministry has launched the first mobile renal dialysis unit in Thailand in a bid to help bedridden patients in remote areas.
Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Thursday that the Department of Medical Services (DMS) is embracing more new technology in addition to regular medical treatment.
"In this era, we [doctors] not only wait for patients to visit us, but we will also visit them," he said.
Previously, the DMS launched a mobile stroke unit in remote areas that provided treatment free of charge.
The ministry aims to expand its kidney dialysis service to cover a wider area and has a policy of offering this for free to subscribers of the universal healthcare "gold card" scheme.
Citing data from last year, it said cases of chronic kidney disease have rapidly increased. One in 25 patients with diabetes and hypertension was found to suffer from CKD.
"The mobile kidney dialysis unit, supervised by Nopparat Rajathanee Hospital, is the first unit of its kind in Thailand and the Asean region. More beds will be added in the future," said Mr Anutin.
DMS director Dr Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn said 23,414 patients with stage-5 chronic kidney disease are being treated with continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis now in Thailand, while 49,609 require haemodialysis.
There are currently 1,151 clinics that offer haemodialysis across the country, but patients in remote areas are often not able to access the treatment.
Each truck has two dialysis machines with standard systems to remove bodily waste from patients. They are all supervised by a haemodialysis expert, an assistant nurse and a kidney expert.
Each mobile unit will operate up to three times a day, and patients' symptoms will be followed by doctors via a mobile application. Currently, the mobile unit needs to treat 50 patients a day to meet demand.
The unit is being piloted in Nong Sua in Pathum Thani, Dr Thongchai said.
