Dr. Cholnan visited Mae Sot to oversee the medical and public health assistance provided to displaced persons from Myanmar who fled to Thailand

The Minister of Public Health visited Mae Sot District in Tak Province to gain insight into the situation and for the provision of medical and public health assistance to individuals who fled the unrest from Myanmar. Dr. Cholnan, the Minister said that Mae Sot Hospital has already activated the hospital preparedness plan for a mass casualty incident and disaster situation. Currently, the hospital is capable of implementing a province-wide system for surgeries and referrals, including 19 operating rooms and 36 ICU beds. 

Today, (April 22, 2024), at Mae Sot Hospital in Tak Province, Dr. Cholnan Srikaew, the Minister of Public Health, Dr. Opart Karnkawinpong, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Health and Dr. Sopon Iamsirithaworn, the Health Inspector at Health Region 2, visited Mae Sot District to oversee the situation and provide strategic direction for medical and public health assistance to people fleeing Myanmar due to the unrest. Dr. Cholnan stated that operations at sites, including Mae Sot Hospital and the temporary safe areas, were reviewed for readiness. Mae Sot Hospital is focused on medical treatment for those injured in the unrest, and has prepared surge capacity for health workforce, equipment, and medical supplies. The temporary safe areas arranged by the Thai government are set up to accommodate displaced persons who undergo health screening measures, disease surveillance, and prevention and environmental sanitation to prevent the spreading of communicable diseases. Dr. Cholnan further stated that on April 20, 2024, Mae Sot Hospital activated an emergency plan for a mass casualty incident due to the simultaneous arrival of 22 injured patients. This plan, which outlines the  standard procedure for dealing with mass casualty incidents at the hospital, has three levels of severity: the highest severity level involves at least 7 seriously injured patients and more than 20 patients, while moderate severity involves less than 7 seriously injured patients and between 10-20 patients, and the lowest severity includes case numbers of lower than the moderate level. Once all patients are completely cared for, the emergency plan will be deactivated. The majority of the patients received treatment for injuries, and there have been 41 surgical operations so far. The public health sector provides treatment to all patients without discrimination, and once patients have recovered enough to be discharged, security agencies will take responsibility for continuing their care. 

Operating rooms and hospital beds have been set up throughout the province for the aforementioned plan, with 19 operating rooms and 36 ICU beds designated across Somdet Phra Chao Taksin Maharat Hospital, Phop Phra Hospital, Mae Ramat Hospital, Tha Song Yang Hospital, Umphang Hospital, and Mae Sot Hospital. If there are over four surgeries required at one time, patients will be referred to other hospitals within the province, and if there are more than 10, they will be considered for referral to other provinces in Region 2. In the designated safe areas, nursing staff and officials are stationed daily with three nurses per shift, and doctors from Mae Sot Hospital are available for consultation 24 hours a day. There is also a system for referring emergency cases. Medicine and medical supplies have been made available to meet the requirements. Displaced people are provided with bottled drinking water. Regarding sanitation, regular testing and chlorinating tap water, inspecting food at every meal, advising garbage management, and organizing volunteers for waste management in the area are implemented as preventive measures. 

*****************************April 22,2024

Translated by Office of International Cooperation, Department of Disease Control, MoPH, Thailand