The National Health Security Office (NHSO) is canceling Home Isolation Day as of July 1, and is also set to discontinue the distribution of ATK tests at pharmacies. Social Security continues to expand home health services, but says you can also use the services at hospitals near your home under the same rights and at no additional cost.
On June 30, 2022, Dr. Somsak Ankasil, director general of the Department of Medical Services, said that NHSO will provide home health services only until November 2022 and that it would be preferable to use the usual health care circuit.
At the same time, the NHSO board is preparing to stop distributing ATK test kits in pharmacies, because according to the rules of the Department of Disease Control, ATK tests will only be performed when there are symptoms. Therefore, frequent testing is no longer necessary as in the past. The study session for the resolution will be held on July 4.
This is in line with the Department of Public Health, which states those with mild symptoms should no longer be treated at home, so get ready to adapt the health care system to be ambulatory.
On July 1, according to the Ministry of Public Health’s announcement, Thailand will be free of the COVID-19 pandemic and the public health care system will return to normal.
COVID disease will be considered endemic in the same way as normal flu. When sick, free medical treatment will be available under the existing treatment law. This is a service that will be provided at a hospital close to home. If the doctor determines that hospitalization is necessary for the treatment, other specialized hospitals will serve as referral.
“At the beginning of the epidemic ode COVID, people were severely ill requiring government agencies to mobilize private sector assistance to respond to the situation.
But today the situation of the covid epidemic is different. So we have to adapt the system to the current situation because the disease does not cause as many severe symptoms as it used to.”
