COVID-19 inspires breakthroughs in medicine in Thailand

The COVID-19 pandemic has inspired hospitals in Thailand to seek new ways to deliver their services, bringing to the fore the “telemedicine” services that are aimed at reducing the risk of spreading the virus.

The health authorities had been attempting to introduce telehealth services, in which doctors can diagnose their patients remotely but to no avail, said health official Dr. Jadej Thammatacharee.

Thammatacharee added that patients do not have a choice but to seek telemedicine services, noting that telehealth has become the “new normal” in Thailand. He said telemedicine would reduce the cost of medical services.

Dr. Pornthep Pongtawigon, Director of Banphaeo General Hospital, said that telemedicine can become normalized; nevertheless, he said certain patients with severe conditions would need to see the doctor face to face.

Dr. Krittiya Phuengwattanaphong, Doctor of the Banphaeo General Hospital, noted the success the health authorities have achieved in coping with the pandemic, adding that this success could be reflected on the telehealth services

“To be honest, we started using telemedicine at the beginning of 2020. At that time, we were facing the situation of what we called COVID. We tried to decrease the number of patients who came to receive our services, but, at the same time, we must continue our services too…,” Phuengwattanaphong added.