by Thaweeporn Amy Kummetha
The World Health Organization (WHO) Thailand on Wednesday donated a mobile digital chest x-ray machine worth 3.8 million THB for the Maesot General Hospital to support the diagnosis of Tuberculosis and COVID-19 among migrant workers.
According to Dr Tawatchai Sedthasuppana, Director of Maesot General Hospital, Tuberculosis is a major health problem among the population. “Increasing numbers of migrants from Myanmar coming to Thailand each year means we need to upgrade our health monitoring and screening system. Early detection is the strategy to prevent tuberculosis from spreading to other migrants and the Thai population,” said the Maesot Hospital Director.
Maesot General Hospital is the biggest hospital in the five westernmost districts of Tak Province, bordering Myanmar. The five districts, Mae Sot, Mae Ramad, Umphang, Pob Phra and Tha Songyang, have served as the gateway for Myanmar migrant workers coming to work and live in Thailand, mainly in the agriculture, fishery and service sectors. 300,000 migrants from Myanmar are estimated to live in the five districts.
Currently, around 300 people, most of them migrants, become infected with tuberculosis each year in Mae Sot District. The hospital hopes that the extra digital chest x-ray machine it received from WHO Thailand will strengthen its capacity to protect the health of migrant workers as well as Thais.
Moreover, Dr Tawatchai added that the machine could also be used in diagnosing COVID-19 patients. Currently, the hospital is overseeing about 4,000 COVID-19 patients, almost half of which are migrants.
Residents of Mae Sot District wait to receive COVID-19 vaccines at the Maesot General Hospital
Additionally, under the South East Asia Health Pandemic Response and Preparedness Programme supported by the EU, the EU and WHO have donated Personal Protective Equipment, including face masks, thermometers, disposable gowns, and disposable gloves, to the hospital. (Read more here.) WHO has also provided technical support to Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) in establishing a COVID-19 hotline for migrant workers, as well as supporting the MOPH to accelerate vaccination for migrants and strengthening risk communications for migrant communities.
Dr Deyer Gopinath, Medical Officer for Malaria and Border Health in WHO Thailand, said border areas have many vulnerabilities. Apart from the worrying tuberculosis situation, the populations in the five districts have relatively low COVID-19 vaccine coverage. WHO is grateful for the opportunity to provide direct support to the hospital and mobilise more resources to address public health gaps in the border area.