Government urged to quickly provide free vaccine to all citizens
The Medical Council of Thailand has urged the government to provide Covid-19 vaccine to every citizen free of charge, as well as provide messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccine to medical professionals.
In a statement issued on Friday, Emeritus Professor Dr Somsri Phasawas, chairperson of the council, said that the procurement of the Covid-19 vaccine should focus on securing vaccines of various types and distributing them to all people to curb the Covid-19 outbreak and protect against mutated variants of the virus.
“The council promotes the principle that Covid-19 vaccine should be provided to all citizens free of charge under Section 47 of the 2017 Constitution,” she said. “Also, the government should distribute vaccine of any type to the people as soon as possible to prevent the development of severe symptoms and deaths.”
The council also urged the government to provide appropriate vaccine to frontline medical professionals who carry high risk of infections. “For example, medical staff should be given mRNA vaccine,” she said.
The statement also urged the public and private hospitals to provide testing to persons who are suspected of contracting Covid-19 in a timely manner and admit infected patients for treatment as soon as they can to prevent further spreading of the virus.
“The council also urges all citizens to strictly follow disease control measures, including washing your hands regularly, wearing face mask, distancing from others and refraining from any public assembly,” Somsri added.
