The Department of Health is proposing a new regulation that will require all pregnant women to work from home to help curb Covid-19 infections and death rates among this vulnerable group.
The proposal will be submitted to the Public Health Ministry's committee on emergency medical and public health operations, said Dr Sopon Mekthon, assistant to the public health minister, yesterday.
At a meeting on Thursday, the ministry discussed problems about caring for pregnant women who face a Covid-19 death rate 2.5 times higher than most other groups of people, Dr Sopon said.
This matter is devastating as it is not only the mothers who die but also their unborn babies, he said.
"The main problem now is fears among pregnant women about possible side effects of Covid-19 vaccines [which deter many of them from getting jabbed]," Dr Sopon said.
Another problem is healthcare facilities that offer prenatal care services failing to refer Covid-19 infected pregnant women to larger facilities capable of handling their deliveries, he said.
A group of health advocates calling for better care of pregnant women during the pandemic, said many infected women have been rejected by their prenatal care providers who claim they weren't able to handle deliveries for Covid-19 infected mothers.
Chari Sisawat, an activist, said such healthcare providers should transfer their patients to a healthcare facility that can.