COUNTRY REPORT: THAILAND
Telemedicine aids Thailand healthcare woes The country’s healthcare system continues to advance digital technologies to improve healthcare services.
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hilst the challenges brought about by COVID-19 are becoming more manageable and with the community becoming more aware of the effects of the pandemic, essential practices and innovations in the treatment of the virus are also becoming ingrained in Thailand’s healthcare system. The country, recognised as having one of the most advanced and efficient healthcare systems in the Asia Pacific region, was widely praised for its proactive response to the pandemic. Through a whole of society approach and ramped-up testing, Thailand has been able to deal with the virus successfully. At the same time, the acceleration of digital technologies in clinical processes have also been beneficial to Thailand’s healthcare system, being able to assist facilities and streamline processes for a more efficient practice. The use of robots are utilised to provide food and medicine, as well as to collect medical information, to limit healthcare workers’ contact to sick patients and to prevent risks. Several contract tracing applications by the government and other organisations have also been developed to locate high-risk areas and to monitor people’s movements, especially those coming from outside the country.
Thailand developed BKK HI Care, a telemedicine platform that will monitor Covid-19 patients
Keeping track of COVID-19 patients The Thai government has built a telemedicine platform to monitor COVID-19 patients with mild symptoms at home and at isolation centres. Named BKK HI Care, the platform allows doctors to monitor and follow up patients
Thailand’s healthcare system has benefited from digital technologies in clinical processes
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HEALTHCARE ASIA
who are isolating or receiving treatment at home. Thanakorn Wangboonkongchana, Secretary to the Minister of the Prime Minister’s Office, assured on 04 August that “the new system will allow doctors to care for COVID-19 patients within the green and yellow levels of severity in home or community isolation.” BKK HI Care keeps records of patients’ daily food intake, treatments, prescriptions, and temperatures. Patients can also report and receive treatment advice from doctors and nurses on their body temperature and blood oxygen saturation measurements at specified times and inform the results to the hospitals right away. The platform is accessible for nurses and doctors via Windows, iOS, and Android smartphones, tablets and laptop/desktop computers. Thanakorn noted that about 285 healthcare facilities are monitoring some 9,000 patients through the platform. Moreover, the platform was built as beds at general hospitals, and field hospitals have been prioritised for more serious cases of COVID-19 patients. Those with milder symptoms can sign up with the government’s Home Isolation (HI) scheme, wherein their symptoms will be monitored continuously through the telemedicine channels. If home isolation is not possible, patients can also seek admission to community isolation centres. Government agencies involved in BKK HI Care’s creation include the Digital Government Development Agency, the National Science and Technology Development Agency, the National Health Security
