Cabinet earmarks Bt11.3 billion for projects to curb new wave of Covid
The Cabinet on Tuesday approved Bt11.3 billion for 10 projects to curb the new round of Covid-19 infections, deputy government spokesperson Ratchada Thanadirek said.
The Bt11.3 billion is part of the Bt45 billion the government had earmarked to fight the outbreak from the Bt1 trillion borrowing under the emergency decree
The 10 projects are divided into three groups, the first of which will be granted Bt4.33 billion. The first group, focusing on curbing the outbreak, will cover five projects. The first project, costing Bt1.57 billion, will cover one million village public health volunteers who will work on preventing and monitoring infections from January to March. This project comes under the Department of Health Service Support.
The Department of Disease Control will be given Bt419 million for the second project, involving preparation for emergencies, and Bt503 million for the procurement of medical equipment and medicine.
The fourth project will see Bt1.81 billion allocated to the National Vaccine Institute to accelerate Thailand’s access to vaccines, while Bt24 million will be given to Chiang Mai University to develop a Level 3 biosafety lab.
The second group will get Bt6.96 billion for three projects.
The first project, which will be granted Bt2.037 billion, will see the Public Health Ministry upgrading public health systems in different regions of the country. The ministry will also be allocated Bt1.92 billion to supply medication and equipment to its public health units.
A budget of Bt2.99 billion will be allocated to the National Health Security Office to provide services.
The third group will focus on two projects worth a total of Bt27.2 million, including the acquisition of screening equipment for the Department of Health Service Support.
