Assurances have been given that the technology-aided home isolation programme for mild or asymptomatic Covid-19 patients will meet hospital treatment standards, according to the Department of Medical Services (DMS).
The DMS said the programme works using an app that is downloaded by the patients and contains essential details such as the patients' health data and treatment history. The data is relayed by the hospitals the patients are registered with for medical treatment.
According to Dr Somsak Akksilp, director-general of the DMS, the app allows the patients to establish an instantaneous, two-way communication with doctors via a call on their mobile phone during the course of Covid-19 treatment.
A patient who is under home isolation could use the application "DMS-telemedicine", which is linked to DMS-affiliated hospitals.
"However, other hospitals have developed their own system for closely monitoring their patients' conditions," he said.
The Public Health Ministry has said home isolation would target people in the "green" group -- those showing no Covid-19 symptoms in Bangkok. They should be confined to their homes for observation so that beds in medical facilities can go to those with more severe symptoms in Bangkok and the surrounding provinces that are designated as "dark-red" zones.
It is also equipped with a system of reporting basic information about the sick while they stay at home, such as their body temperature and blood oxygen levels.
Dr Somsak said they should be aged below 60 and in relatively good health. They should stay at home alone or with one family member at most. They also should not be obese or be suffering from underlying conditions. Also, those seeking home isolation must have permission from doctors.
Meanwhile, Dr Tanin Intragamtornchai, former president of the Royal College of Physicians of Thailand, agreed with the home isolation programme, saying it should work well for people with mild or no Covid-19 symptoms.
"It is good that asymptomatic patients are treated at home. They will get both medicine and oxygen measurement tools to report oxygen levels daily.
"Those with very mild conditions could recover within two weeks," he said, adding that many hospitals have set up a Line group to chat with patients isolating at home.
There has been positive feedback from home isolation cases already underway, he said.
Meanwhile, the National Health Security Office (NHSO) yesterday said it will provide support in terms of medical equipment and money for buying food for home isolation patients amounting to 1,000 baht a day per head.
