Illustrative image (Photo: Bangkok Post) Bangkok (VNA) – Thailand's Ministry of Public Health has launched the first mobile renal dialysis unit in the country in a bid to help bedridden patients in remote areas.
Speaking at the launching ceremony on June 29, Minister of Public Health Anutin Charnvirakul said the mobile kidney dialysis unit, supervised by Nopparat Rajathanee Hospital, is the first unit of its kind in Thailand and the ASEAN region. More beds will be added in the future.
Meanwhile, Director of the Department of Medical Services Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn said 23,414 patients with stage-5 chronic kidney disease are being treated with continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis now in Thailand, while 49,609 require haemodialysis.
There are currently 1,151 clinics that offer haemodialysis across the country, but patients in remote areas are often not able to access the treatment.
The ministry aims to expand its kidney dialysis service to cover a wider area and has a policy of offering this for free to subscribers of the universal healthcare "gold card" scheme./.
