Tak: The Tak Provincial Public Health Office is gearing up for an influx of patients from refugee camps along the Thai-Myanmar border, with around 40,000-50,000 people expected.
This follows the recent decision by US President Donald Trump to suspend funding for the International Rescue Committee (IRC).
Public health officials at the Nu Po Refugee Camp in Tak's Umphang district reported the camp's healthcare services have been halted since Jan 27. Only emergency patients can receive treatment, while non-emergency cases can no longer be served.
There are nine refugee camps in the area, home to about 90,000 refugees. They were set up over three decades ago to assist people fleeing conflict in Myanmar, and for many years they have received support from the United States and other Western countries.
The interruption to the IRC's funding has caused concern for the hospitals that have relied on this money to care for refugees.
Local hospitals are already struggling to meet the needs of Thai patients under the universal healthcare scheme and now they face the added pressure of potentially caring for tens of thousands of refugees. The concern is how to manage this increase in demand with the available resources.
Pitakpong Chandaeng, chief of the Tak Provincial Public Health Office, said officials have met recently to assess how to manage the situation.
Patients from refugee camps were previously taken care of by public health units funded by the IRC, but with the funding suspended, these units are prioritising the treatment of general diseases, chronic conditions, psychiatric disorders, tuberculosis and emergencies, he said.
Dr Pitakpong said the units may have to carry on operating like this for now amid plans to request funding from other NGOs.
Currently, there are three evacuation centres or temporary shelters in Tak, catering to about 40,000 to 50,000 refugees. They are the Mae La Centre in Tha Song Yang district, Umpium Centre in Phop Phra district and Nu Po Centre in Umphang district.
Worawit Tantiwattanasap, director of Umphang Hospital, proposed setting up a national fund to gather donations.
The focus would be on humanitarian principles and ensuring that no refugee is charged for treatment, he said.