Central Group and the Medical Association of Thailand under Royal Patronage on Monday launched a fundraising campaign to support the research and development of Covid-19 treatments.
Executive Director of Central Group, Pichai Chirathivat, said the group is aware of the far-reaching impact Covid-19 has on the economy and society. As such, by launching the fundraising campaign dubbed "Help Thai Fight Covid-19", the group is hoping to support efforts to develop effective treatments and prevent the further spread of the disease.
Contributions made through this campaign, which will run from March to December this year will be given to the Medical Association of Thailand Under Royal Patronage, through the Tiang Chirathivat Foundation, he said.
Donations will also be used to fund research projects by Siriraj Hospital's Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital's Faculty of Medicine and Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Medicine, he added.
Donors can support this campaign by donating to the Tiang Chirathivat Foundation, through Siam Commercial Bank, account number 002-2-84631-9 or by scanning the e-Donation QR code at Central department stores.
Meanwhile, MAT president Amorn Leelarasamee said there are several research projects currently underway to confirm the findings of in vitro studies about Covid-19 treatments and prevention techniques.
"MAT recognises that there are still gaps in research projects which need to be addressed urgently, such as new academic information, faster and more modern approval and research processes, and studies in a large group of patients or people, in order to confirm that the methods can be utilised in humans," he said.
"This requires support both in terms of medical teams and financial support from the private sector, to ensure that the final phase of trials can happen as soon as possible in order to benefit the public and Covid-19 patients."
Dr Amorn said MAT will use the funds from the campaign to work closely with Thai researchers in internationally acclaimed universities to facilitate the final phase of trials to ensure that the treatments can be safely used in humans.
Prasert Auewarakul, Deputy Dean for Research of Siriraj Hospital's Faculty of Medicine, said that Siriraj Hospital's research projects will focus on the epidemiology of big clusters, and the effectiveness of various measures in controlling the spread of Covid-19.
Dr Voraphoj Nilaratanakul, Assistant Dean for Research Affairs at Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Medicine, said with more funds from this campaign, researchers can explore new topics and expand on existing ones to meet the needs of the changing needs of Thai society.