THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

Insider’s guide to the largest field hospital in Thailand

The largest field hospital in Thailand is up and running at the 11th Military Circle on Chaeng Wattana Road in Bangkok, treating hundreds of patients with moderate to severe Covid-19 in the capital and surrounding areas.

Opened on July 2 this year, the field hospital is a collaboration by the Royal Thai Army, Public Health Ministry and Thonburi Healthcare Group.

It currently has capacity for 494 patients, with 154 ICU beds set up on July 2, 152 beds on August 12 and 188 beds on September 1.

Thonburi Healthcare Group is responsible for the field hospital’s management, including the design, construction, technologies, medical staff, supplies and training in line with hospital standards.

The field hospital has three core facilities:

Negative pressure ICU rooms

Severely ill patients admitted to the hospital are treated in ICU rooms under the 24-hour care of medical staff.

Oxygen tanks set up at the field hospital generate oxygen for each patient’s room.

Control room

Staff in the control room can observe or contact patients remotely via CCTV cameras set up inside each room. This cuts the risk of spreading infection from face-to-face contact.

In addition, devices inside the control room monitor patients' vital signs, such as pulse and blood-oxygen level.

Training centre

The centre was set up to train medical staff transferred from other hospitals, beauty clinics or dental surgeries in using equipment at the field hospital.

The centre is also training skilled unemployed people, such as flight attendants and new graduates in medical-related fields, as medical assistants, to create jobs amid the Covid-19 crisis.

A recreation room provides table tennis, massage and karaoke for medical staff during breaks.

nationthailand