Costs still covered if home isolation is recommended by a physician, officials say
The National Health Security Office (NHSO) has given an assurance that health screening and home and community isolation programmes for Covid-19 patients will continue.
The comment was made in response to public concerns that the medical services would no longer be available after the NHSO announced revisions to its Covid compensation criteria on July 4.
Dr Jadej Thammatacharee, the NHSO secretary-general, said on Saturday that state care for Covid-19 patients would continue.
The revisions announced this month were mostly to do with funding for Covid care as the coronavirus is now considered endemic, he said.
Medical facilities treating gold card patients will now seek payment from the NHSO in a similar fashion to other common ailments, while private hospitals will be able to seek funds from the NHSO in the event a patient is received as an emergency case.
Home isolation and community isolation are still covered by the NHSO in the event the attending physician deems the patient is best suited by such treatments.
Dr Jadej said that wider vaccination of the public has resulted in a reduction in cases where home isolation is required. However, he insisted that the office would continue to cover costs related to home isolation if requested by a physician.
Official figures released on Saturday showed that 12,365 people with Covid symptoms were currently being treated in home or community isolation, and another 23,867 in hospitals.