Chief of Phuket Field Hospital at Prince of Songkhla University (PSU) Dr Bussaya Santisan explained that the case was a woman who worked in Bangkok and was found infected on July 13. The woman had to stay alone in her apartment and wait for hospital staff to inform her about bed availability in any of the hospitals.
One of the woman’s parents contacted staff at Phuket Field Hospital and asked to bring their daughter back to the island to receive treatment. The parent then contacted an ambulance in Bangkok to bring the woman back, and medical staff picked her up at the Phuket Checkpoint. Then the woman was directly taken to Phuket Field Hospital.
“The Bring Phuket People Home project came after medical staff realized the insufficiency of beds in the dark-red and red zone provinces where the number of infected cases has rapidly increased. So our staff at the Phuket Field Hospital stepped in to help lighten the on doctors and bring Phuket people home,” Dr Bussaya said.
“To be bought back to the island, an infected person must have a Phuket address, be tested positive for COVID-19 and unable to find a hospital bed. The cases must also be considered green patients who do not have infection in lungs,” she added.
Dr Bussaya explained that the province is planning to receive no more than 10 cases per day.
“Right now, we have only 30 patients in the field hospital where there are 170 beds and medical staff is on stand by for 24 hours,” Dr Bussaya said.
“However, any infected Phuket person who is unable to find a bed and wants to receive treatment in Phuket can call us at 076-377686 from 8:30am to 6pm,” she added.
The needed documents are: and ID card, a COVID-19 test, X-ray results, medical history report and a relative’s house for 14-day quarantine after treatment.