Bangkok City Hall has opened two new field hospitals with a total of 500 beds for Covid-19 patients with mild symptoms.
Bangkok governor Chadchart Sittipunt on Wednesday met non-governmental organisations such as the Zendai Foundation and Sai Mai Tong Rod group to improve guidelines on how to best manage the rising number of Covid-19 patients being treated by hospitals.
Mr Chadchart said the BMA's affiliated hospitals have about 760 beds allocated for moderate-to-severe Covid-19 cases. As of Wednesday, about 47% of their beds were occupied, including 17 severe cases.
When every hospital in Bangkok has been counted, the capacity to handle Covid-19 patients is 5,600 beds. At present, about 3,000 beds or 47% are occupied.
To prepare for the surge, BMA has converted facilities at the Bangkok Arena in Nong Chok district and Chaloem Phrakiat Sport Training Centre in Thung Kru district into field hospitals. Altogether, the new facilities can accommodate about 500 patients with mild symptoms.
Mr Chadchart said the BMA would coordinate with other parties to add more beds if required.
Aside from hospital beds, he also addressed the issue of Covid-19 patient quotas that hospitals can receive per day.
The governor insisted there cannot be a quota and he asked patients to visit any of the 11 hospitals operated by the BMA or visit Vajira Hospital or the 69 public health service centres across the city for treatment.
For those considered among the high-risk "608" group who get infected with Covid-19, they can ask their relatives to get medicines for them from a nearby hospital.
The hospital must keep checking on the condition of the patients while they stay home for treatment, Mr Chadchart said.
In addition, Covid-19 patients can call the Erawan Centre's 1669 hotline which now has 60 phone lines to provide immediate service to patients, such as bed arrangement and patient transfers, including vaccination services at home, he said.
Meanwhile, Dr Somsak Akksilp, director-general of the Department of Medical Services, said the occupied bed rate has gradually increased at the department's three affiliated hospitals -- Lerdsin, Rajavithi and Nopparat Rajathanee hospitals.
He said the combined daily case from the three hospitals is about 1,500.
The department has suggested all Bangkok hospitals resume their acute respiratory infection clinics due to the rise in Covid-19 infections, he said.
