The National Health Security Office (NHSO) has disbursed 621 million baht under a remedial assistance programme to more than 6,000 people who suffered from undesirable side effects of Covid-19 vaccination, according to its director-general.
Jadet Thammathat-Aree yesterday said the government has a policy to provide assistance to people who experienced undesirable side effects after being jabbed under its mass vaccination campaign.
The programme was intended to create confidence for people getting vaccinated, he said.
The NHSO, which is responsible for giving the payout, has issued criteria for claiming compensation and the payment method.
Dr Jadet said 9,245 people have sought compensation, mostly after receiving their first vaccine shot. Of those who requested compensation, 6,177 were eligible for the assistance, he said. Also, 1,569 are waiting for the payout decision, he added. To date, Dr Jadet said the NHSO has paid out a total of 621 million baht.
Bangkok residents filed the most requests for assistance, followed by Chiang Mai, Ubon Ratchathani and Udon Thani.
The NHSO chief said most of those who sought the payout, or 46%, were members of the gold-card universal health care scheme, followed by 27% who were subscribers of the social security programme and the rest state officials.
The most common side effects were fever, nausea, chest pain, breathing difficulty, weak arms and legs, phylaxis shock, and death, he said. Dr Jadet said 4,770 payout claimants came down with mild conditions and they were offered up to 100,000 baht each. Another 1,296 people left disabled or died received up to 400,000 baht each, he said.
He said those adversely affected by the vaccine jabs are free to submit their request at vaccination points where they obtained the shots, provincial public health offices or the NHSO branches nationwide. The claims may be filed within two years of the side effects being detected. A panel made up of experts and civic groups is in charge of assessing compensation, Dr Jadet said.