Thammasat University Hospital has issued a set of regulations for doctors considering intubation for critically-ill Covid-19 patients amid a shortage of medical resources.
An announcement signed by Assistant Prof Dr Pharuhat Tor-udom, director of the hospital, said the Covid-19 situation has reached a critical level and there is an insufficient amount of medical resources to help treat critically ill patients.
It said due to the shortage, the hospital has drawn up a set of criteria for doctors to follow when considering whether to perform intubation, the process of inserting a tube into a body, on certain patients.
Palliative, or specialised, care could instead be suggested, it said.
It said that doctors must consider withholding intubation for patients who are over 75; have serious diseases such as late-stage cancer; a Clinical Frailty Scale level of six or over; or who are terminally ill.
Doctors must also consider withholding intubation for patients with advance directives, such as verbal or written statements, that they do not want to be intubated, it said.
The set of criteria, approved by the hospital's board on Tuesday, took effect on Thursday, it said.
Meanwhile, a Facebook page run by supporters of Thammasat Field Hospital on Thursday announced that the facility was facing a shortage of resources and it was unable to take in more Covid-19 patients.
The field hospital currently is at full capacity with 400 patients under its care.
The page also said that several medical staff were infected with Covid-19 and about 100 were placed under quarantine.