Public Health Ministry steps up response as PM2.5 hits 41 provinces

Thailand’s PM2.5 fine dust situation has once again become a serious cause for concern, particularly in the North, where high levels of accumulated pollution have persisted and are beginning to affect public health on a wide scale. 

The crisis is also showing signs of becoming a structural burden on both the public health system and the broader economy.

Dr Somruk Chungsaman, Permanent Secretary of the Public Health Ministry, said the latest air quality monitoring found that the 24-hour average PM2.5 concentration had exceeded the safety standard of 37.5 micrograms per cubic metre in 41 provinces. 

Of those, 32 provinces have recorded PM2.5 levels above the standard continuously for more than three days, reflecting a prolonged build-up of pollution.

Northern provinces remain the most critical areas, particularly Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Lamphun and Nan, where high PM2.5 accumulation has continued for several days. 

In some areas, red-level air pollution has persisted for more than 10 days, underscoring a build-up of pollution beyond the atmosphere’s capacity to disperse it, compounded by a high number of hotspots that remain active.

In response, the Public Health Ministry has stepped up its measures by activating Public Health Emergency Operations Centres (PHEOC) in 12 provinces to speed up management efforts and reduce health impacts on the public, especially vulnerable groups such as young children, older people and those with underlying health conditions.

On the ground, proactive health screening has already been carried out for more than 29,000 people in red-zone risk areas, covering 75 districts. Authorities have also stockpiled more than 1.7 million surgical masks and over 180,000 N95 masks to prepare for a situation that may drag on. 

At the same time, health service units are closely tracking patient data through hospital information systems in order to assess health impacts in detail.

The ministry has also issued nine directives to provincial public health offices and all relevant operational teams in Health Region 1:

• All service units must review data on patients affected by PM2.5, using hospital information system (HIS) data as the main source, in order to assess the situation and report findings within the specified timeframe.
   
• Close coordination with provincial governors is required so that powers under disaster declarations can be used to speed up the procurement of essential supplies, such as anti-dust nets and face masks.
   
• Proactive healthcare must be provided, especially for vulnerable groups in affected areas.
   
• Public communication must address issues of public concern by explaining facts through all channels, while medical experts should be deployed to provide information and build public confidence.
   
• Firebreaks at 35 hospitals in at-risk groups must be monitored and inspected to reduce risks to health service facilities.
   
• Situation summaries, operational progress, public care measures and preparedness efforts must be compiled for use in public communication.
   
• Academic centres in the region, including disease prevention and control offices and health centres, must provide guidance and transfer knowledge to provincial public health offices and hospitals in the area.
   
• Resources must be managed through the One Region One Hospital network approach, with regular checks on medical supply inventories and inter-provincial support or equipment-sharing within the region to ensure continuity of services.
   
• The data platform of the Office of Disease Prevention and Control 1 in Chiang Mai must be improved and updated so that it displays accurate, complete and current information for effective planning and situation management.