High-level officials of the Ministry of Public Health, led by permanent secretary Kiatiphum Wongrajit, issued a statement on Wednesday calling for government measures to protect healthcare personnel from legal liability in combating the Covid-19 pandemic during the current emergency.
The statement was read out online by Dr Kiatiphum.
Dr Kiatiphum said the statement was issued in the name of all deputy permanent secretaries, directors-general of all departments and secretaries-general of the Food and Drug Administration, the National Vaccine Institute, the Health System Research Institute, the National Institute of Emergency Medicine, the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation, the Medical Council of Thailand, the Thailand Nursing and Midwifery Council, the Thai Dental Council, the Pharmacy Council of Thailand, the Medical Technology Council, the Physical Therapy Council and the Medical Association of Thailand.
The statement said Covid-19 is a new emerging infectious disease which has widely affected a large number of people, causing many families to have lost their loved ones.
The Thai health system has combated this disease for nearly two years with all of its resources in an emergency situation. Health personnel have to do everything they can - including the procurement of medicine, equipment and vaccines - to provide medical treatment for people infected with the disease and to prevent it spreading further.
In performing their duties, health personnel have to work during an emergency with only limited knowledge and resources, so they risk making honest mistakes.
Therefore, the Ministry of Public Health and health networks would like the government to lay down measures to protect health workers and academics from legal liability, to boost their confidence in continuing to work for the utmost interest of the people.
The statement was issued after the ministry's attempt to issue an executive decree to provide healthcare professionals with immunity from legal liability was met with public scepticism that its purpose was to indemnify politicians.
