Two weeks after the Health Ministry and the National Health Security Office (NHSO) rolled out a scheme for coronavirus patients with mild symptoms, its implementation remains a mess, riddled with too many loopholes.
Under the scheme, known in Thai as jer, jaek, jop, a system will locate patients and hand them the needed medicines, bringing the problem to an end.
Under this scheme, those identified as green category patients are required to contact the office through its 1330 hotline.
They are then provided with some advice and a set of medications, such as favipiravir, fah talai jone, or medicines for flu-like symptoms like fever, a runny nose, and coughing. They largely practise self-isolation at home or in places arranged by the community.
In principle, each green-category patient is to get a follow-up call to check their condition within the next 48 hours. They are assured a quick response will be available in case they get worse.
The scheme is designed to ease pressure on the health system in Bangkok and surrounding provinces, so the NHSO and state health officials can focus on those with moderate or severe symptoms (the yellow and red categories, respectively) who from this week can receive free treatment at any private or state hospital under the Universal Coverage for Emergency Patients (Ucep) Plus scheme.
Yet the NHSO is in hot water for the poor handling of green category patients. A large number of those who tested positive for the virus complained about the dysfunctional hotline which has left them out in the cold, with no advice or medicine.
Some have had to self-diagnose and seek out medicine for themselves. Others who have been waiting too long are unlucky as their condition -- despite only having mild symptoms in the beginning -- can worsen to include damaged lungs. Given the fact that the NHSO has handled the Covid situation for two years, this sluggish service should not be allowed to happen.
The NHSO says the problem derives mainly from a staff shortage. With 40,000-70,000 calls a day, the system has been severely overloaded. Some patients were put on hold for more than five days.
The office eventually recommended those who cannot get through on the phone to go straight to nearby hospitals and seek treatment under the universal healthcare coverage scheme.
Such advice is debatable given that by allowing Covid patients to travel to hospital, the virus may spread.
Worse, it is reported that fah talai jone medicine has become scarce and the price has soared due to profiteering.
The Rural Doctors Society has also pointed to disparities among people under the three health schemes.
Members of the Social Security Fund, it says, have experienced difficulties in gaining access to the health system, or in claiming payment for medical bills.
Yet the Social Security Office insists these hurdles are merely a communication problem, while pledging to fix the matter. It also promises those who submit medical bills can make retrospective claims.
Despite the setbacks, officials have assured Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha the scheme is a success.
They cite fewer hospital admittances. The truth, however, is that some hospitals refuse to admit Covid-19 patients given there are no available beds.
The prime minister and those at the top at the Health Ministry can no longer be complacent. It's time they come down from their ivory tower to ensure such problems are duly tackled.
