Health Ministry pulls out more stops

From tomorrow, all personnel working at state hospitals under the Public Health Ministry must wear face masks to ensure that patients receiving treatment for type-A (H1N1) influenza are in sterile zones, Minister Witthaya Kaewparadai said yesterday.

As more and more people contract the disease and the death toll approaches 20, yesterday's ministerial executive meeting was called to set measures to curb the outbreak. It agreed that the "Hero's Mask" would protect doctors, nurses and carers. It follows campaigns for the public to wear masks when sick and wash their hands often.

To clarify the number of virus patients in the country, Witthaya said he had assigned Deputy Permanent Secretary for Public Health Dr Pijit Warachit as spokesman regarding the latest data on H1N1 patients and fatalities on a daily basis.

Besides the existing numbers 02 590 3333, 02 590 1594 and 02 590 1669 and the hotline 1330, the public can also now call hotline 1422 for virus information, he added.

Later in the evening Deputy Public Health Minister Manit Nop-amornbodi took a team to campaign for masks and hand-wash gel at the Bee the Star concert at Impact Arena Muangthong Thani.

Thailand's 2.4 million people with congenital diseases were urged to take care of themselves as they were most susceptible to the disease. The ministry will also ask Thai Post Co and all mobile-phone operators to send short messages about the situation update and preventive measures within a week, Witthaya said.

The Criminal Court yesterday called in 10 maids to disinfect detention cells and offices. Cinemas and other venues in the provinces were cleaned, and businesses and schools were the target of mask campaigns, while 20 tutoring schools in Chiang Mai and 30 in Nakhon Ratchasima prepared to close from July 13-28.

The General Aptitude Test (GAT) exams sat by 340,000 students and the Professional Aptitude Test (PAT) by 200,000 students at 120 locations yesterday went ahead with precautions including room-cleaning and masks for invigilators and students.

National Institute of Educational Testing Services director Utumporn Jamornmann said the agency was not sure whether the other PAT exams slated for this weekend could be held due to the situation. As some students were reported to have missed the exams nationwide, the institute will allow those with medical certificates that they have H1N1 another chance to sit them.

Private hospitals throughout the country have raised the diagnosis charge for H1N1 to Bt3,500, said Secretary-General of the Private Hospital Association Dr Chalerm Harnpanich. This excludes the cost of medication and other hospital services, he said, urging H1N1-positive patients to seek treatment at hospitals covered by their insurance schemes to reduce expense.