วันจันทร์ที่ 27 มิถุนายน 2565
PM praised Thai researchers for developing medical devices to cope with COVID-19, reducing imports and enhancing the potential aiming to become a medical hub in the region
PM praised Thai researchers for developing medical devices to cope with COVID-19, reducing imports and enhancing the potential aiming to become a medical hub in the region
June 27, 2022, Ms. Rachada Dhnadirek, Deputy Government Spokesperson, disclosed that under promoting medical technology and innovation policyto support the region's medical center and create stability in the public health system, Prime Minister and Defense Minister Gen. Prayut Chan-o-cha, has closely followed up on the invention of the works of Thai people, and most recently, he expressed his appreciation for researchers who have developed innovative results in health care, which is a product for prevention and control of infection, diagnosis, and care, making Thailand ready to cope with COVID-19 in the last two years under the supervision of the Office of Thailand Science Research and Innovation (TSRI) in order to allocate an overall budget of more than 3 billion baht. Examples of work are as follows:
1. High Flow Nasal Cannula (HFNC) has a production cost of approximately 50,000 baht per device, while the imported price per device requires 200,000–250,000 baht. As a result, the country can reduce imports by up to 150,000 baht per device, and currently, more than 500 devices are delivered to hospitals nationwide, helping to reduce imports and reduce government expenses by more than 75 million baht. Chulabhorn Hospital conducted this research, along with the Thai Red Cross Society (Chulalongkorn Hospital, Thai Red Cross Society, or Chulabhorn Hospital, Chulabhorn Royal College), and Intronic Co., Ltd.
2. A COVID test kit RT-LAMP has been installed and used at screening checkpoints at airports and hospitals; this rapid screening test can check the results within 1 hour. Significantly, this will help support more effective disease screening, leading to further pandemic control and prevention. This Covid test kit has now been delivered to government agencies and distributed over 260,000 sets, worth approximately 65 million baht. It is a research project by startup company "Zenostic" at Mahidol University.
3. The "COVITECT-1" test kit with Real-Time RT PCR has been certified as the international standard. More than 500,000 test kits have been delivered to the government sectors and 80,000 to ASEAN member states, including being sold to laboratories and hospitals, both public and private, in order to reduce the imported products from abroad. This product was generated by collaboration between the Department of Medical Sciences and Siam Bioscience Co., Ltd.
4. Blood collection tube made by Innomade. Blood collection tubes are now a high-volume medical device. This product was developed to replace imports and can continue to be exported. It is designed to replace the use of blood collection tubes from 2 tubes and is suitable for chronic patients who need to draw blood frequently and infectious disease patients. The products are now certified to meet the ISO 13485 standard. Moreover, if this self-made medical product is used, it will reduce the importation of blood collection tubes yearly. It is worth more than 2,700 million baht. Asst. Prof. Dr. Wanwisa Tribuphonchatsakul, Naresuan University and We Made Lab Center Co., Ltd.
"Under the situation of the COVID-19 pandemic since 2019, it has now resulted in over 500 million infected people worldwide. In Thailand, in the beginning, there was a shortage of medical equipment, whether it was raw materials, equipment, or medical materials that could not be imported or produced in time to meet the demand. However, the Prime Minister, discussed with all relevant agencies to consider adjusting the management plan in order to contribute to supporting the development and design of products for infection prevention and control, diagnosis, and care to enable Thailand to be ready to cope with COVID-19. Over the past 2 years of the dedicated work of Thai researchers, they have now developed many medical innovations, and it is a confirmation of the Thai people's abilities and readiness to become a medical center in the region. " Ms. Rachada said.