KANCHANABURI: A total of 64 centres for Covid patients waiting for hospital beds are being set up in the 13 districts of this western border province to cope with the growing number of infections, the provincial communicable disease committee said on Wednesday.
Governor Jirakiat Phumsawat, the committee chairman, said there were only three field hospitals in the province to take people with Covid-19 infections and mild symptoms.
One is at Makarak Hospital in Tha Maka district and has 320 beds, one at the one-tambon-one-product (Otop) distribution centre in Muang district, with 100 beds and the other at the territorial defence student training camp in tambon Lat Ya in Muang district, with 300 beds.
These beds were nearly all occupied, while the number of infections kept rising.
Therefore, there must be places for Covid patients to wait before being admitted to the field hospitals or main hospitals once beds were available.
Under the communicable disease committee's plan, there will be seven waiting centres in Muang district, 21 in Tha Maka, one in Tha Muang, eight in Bo Phloy, one in Phanom Thuan, nine in Huay Krachao, one in Lao Khwan, three in Sangkhlaburi, one in Thong Pha Phum, eight in Sai Yok, one in Dan Makham Tia, one in Si Sawat and two in Nong Prue districts.
Some will be opened this month and the others in August, the governor said.