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Published on December 27, 2007

 

 

The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) endorsed the new bill last week.

Mongkol said it was the first Thai law that tried to ensure accident victims would be res¬cued as soon as possible.

According to ministry records, 60,000 people die in emergencies and road accidents each year. Mongkol said if res¬cue teams reach victims within an hour 6,000 to 18,000 lives could be saved.

The act is expected to see improvements made to the entire emergency medical sys¬tem.

Rescue workers will have to be registered and permitted to undertake their profession by the National Emergency Medical Service Centre.

The act will also prevent patients being sent to certain private hospitals where rescue vans take them in order to receive commissions.

This system is regarded as particularly unfair for patients who do not have the funds to be admitted to private hospitals.

Moreover, all hospitals across the country will be pun¬ished if they refuse any patient who does not have funds avail¬able for treatment.

Mongkol has proposed a national emergency response centre with an easily memo¬rised hotline number to make it easier for the public to report accidents.

Trained staff would ask callers about the condition of victims before dispatching a rescue team to reach the acci¬dent site within 10 minutes.

The ministry also plans to install a rapid communication network at 9,000 primary healthcare units nationwide. The National Health Security Office has allocated Bt558 mil¬lion for the project.

The Nation