Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has expressed concern about people who died of Covid-19 after not receiving timely treatment.
He has instructed all agencies involved to overcome the problem.
During a meeting of the Centre for Economic Situation Administration (CESA) via video conference on Thursday, Gen Prayut said: “You must help me find ways to reduce the number of infected people who stay at home and wait for an ambulance or wait on the streets.
“A picture like this must not be seen again. It is the responsibility of all agencies, not just the Public Health Ministry. Agencies involved must find ways to take these people to field hospitals,” the prime minister said.
He made the remarks following an outcry over the delay in collecting a body, one of three, found in a street in Phra Nakhon district on Tuesday night.
The sight of the body shrouded in white cloth and lying on the street uncollected for almost 12 hours in Ban Phan Thom of Phra Nakhon district sparked public outrage.
The man was identified as Somkiat Ruenkao, 50, a car park attendant at Wat Bowon Niwet. Police received a call about the man who had fainted on the street at 11am on Tuesday.
Paramedics and rescuers arrived later with oxygen. They tried in vain to revive the man, prompting the police to call forensic experts from Vajira Hospital to examine the body.
The Por Teck Tung foundation collected the body at 10pm and brought it to Vajira Hospital for an autopsy. The man had Covid-19, Metropolitan Police Bureau spokesman Piya Tawichai said.
The spokesman said police were also alerted about 6.30pm on Tuesday to a second body, that of Seri Ruengrojanarit, 59, from Rayong, found on Ratchadamnoen Avenue.
Vajira Hospital forensic officials arrived to examine the body at 7.15pm and the Por Teck Tung rescuers delivered it shortly afterwards to the hospital where a Covid-19 test was performed. The result was pending.
The third body, identified by police as Bangpot Jermjenkarn, 81, was discovered in Wat Suthat Thepphawararam in the Sao Chingcha area at 7.30pm. The forensic team from the Police General Hospital arrived to collect the body at 9pm. Tests confirmed he was infected with Covid-19.
The CESA on Thursday also looked at a report on the current economic situation submitted by the National Economic and Social Development Council.
It discussed economic and investment stimulus proposals aimed at attracting high-calibre foreigners to the country. The meeting was also briefed on progress in the reopening of Phuket under the sandbox scheme which started on July 1.
Deputy government spokeswoman Traisuree Taisaranakul on Thursday said the cabinet on Tuesday instructed the Public Health Ministry to work with other agencies to come up with measures to transport Covid-19 patients with mild symptoms in Bangkok and surrounding provinces who want to return to their home provinces and seek medical treatment at local or field hospitals.
She said the National Health Security Office, the National Institute for Emergency Medicine, the army, and the Transport Ministry have collaborated to arrange vehicles to transport those patients to their home provinces.
Strict precautions will be taken to make sure patients are transported safely to their destinations and to prevent the spread of the disease throughout the journey.
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Meanwhile, the Public Health Ministry on Thursday reported a new daily record of 13,655 Covid-19 cases, and 87 more fatalities over the previous 24 hours. There were 13,110 cases in the general population and 545 among prison inmates.
Bangkok had the most new cases at 2,893, followed by 965 in Samut Sakhon and 895 in Samut Prakan.
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