Enough Covid stunts already

Enough Covid stunts already

It was heart-wrenching to see hundreds of people spend overnight on a pavement outside Wat Phra Sri Maha That in Bang Khen district last week as they waited to get queue tickets for free Covid-19 testing.

Similar scenes were spotted in other areas including Makanak market in Dusit district and Huai Khwang market. On some nights, these people had to sit amid heavy rain; many were to leave disappointed when the quotas run out.

Most of those people thought they were in at-risk groups but they cannot afford testing at private laboratories while hospitals rejected their test requests due to bed shortages.

The government earlier issued a rule requiring hospitals to immediately admit patients who tested positive. Some people waiting to get in the queue said they felt like beggars as they were denied access to the health system despite the fact they are citizens and taxpayers of this country.

How can such a sad situation come about? Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and many of his cabinet members announced on Friday they would give up their pay for three months as part of the Covid-19 fight.

Their move is the way to show spirit during the crisis but a total of 12.5 million baht representing their salaries over three months is a drop in the bucket and cannot relieve people's hardship.

The premier and his cabinet should not give up their pay in the hope they will console their critics; rather, they should perform their duty and give an all-out effort to solving people's problems. With new Covid-19 cases surging to nearly 10,000 cases a day and delays in vaccinations, the government must not allow the Covid testing problem to add to the crisis. It must also eradicate any impractical regulations which create logjams in the system.

One welcome example came on Saturday when the Department of Health Service Support let hospitals conduct Covid-19 tests without being subject to the condition that they have to admit patients who test positive.

Hospitals earlier were reported to be reluctant to provide Covid tests, as an old regulation required them to receive a Covid patient.

This new guideline is the right move and should have been implemented sooner, but is still better late than never.

After this, the government needs clear guidelines for hospitals as to how and where infected patients will be referred. In addition, free Covid-19 testing needs to be expanded from the six venues at six districts in the capital offered at present.

More rapid antigen tests are also needed so people can quickly isolate themselves if they find they have caught the virus. Home isolation is inevitable as the number of cases increases rapidly and hospitals run short of beds.

Unfortunately, the government has been slow to support the system, particularly telemedicine consultations and health monitoring devices. Access to anti-virus medicines also needs to be expanded. Infected patients are still found dead at home almost every day as they fail to get into hospital in time. They also lacked adequate care when they were at home. Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul's promise that "there must be no one to be left to die at home again" sounds hollow.

These things do not require the prime minister and cabinet to give up their pay, and nor should they resort to such stunts. Efforts to push toward a more people-oriented policy and prudent management are needed, and this is where they should focus their attention.

Editorial

Bangkok Post editorial column

These editorials represent Bangkok Post thoughts about current issues and situations.

Email : anchaleek@bangkokpost.co.th

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