Thailand must stop free testing and switch to Covid treatment: medical expert
A top health expert has urged Thailand to follow the example of other countries and stop testing people for Covid-19.
Dr Prasit Watanapa, dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Siriraj Hospital, said free tests should end because Thailand was entering the final stage of the pandemic and the dominant variant causes milder symptoms.
“Many countries have stopped testing people for Covid-19 as Omicron rarely causes severe symptoms or deaths,” he told the “Hospital Accreditation National Forum” hosted by the Healthcare Accreditation Institute on Thursday.
“The body can build immunity to Omicron in just two weeks after infection, while the majority of people have been vaccinated against the virus which further reduces risk of hospitalisation and death.”
Prasit added that testing during the Omicron outbreak reveals a higher number of infections but does nothing to solve the problem. “Instead, we should continue to improve our public health system, especially hospital accreditation to ensure that we have proper standardised healthcare for infected patients that enables fast recovery and guards against future infection,” he said.
Improving healthcare and hospital accreditation via new technology and innovative treatment techniques would not only combat the Covid-19 crisis but also help protect people from other illnesses caused both by microbes and non-communicable diseases, added Prasit.
