BANGKOK (Xinhua) — Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has approved a 1.5-billion-baht (46-million U.S. dollar) budget for the Ministry of Public Health to buy medicines and medical equipments from China and Japan to cope with the COVID-19 spread in Thailand, Dr. Sukhum Kanchanapimai, at the ministry confirmed on Friday.
“The budget is set to be spent on buying 340,000 favipiravir pills, the antiviral drug, used to treat COVID-19,” said the permanent secretary of the ministry, adding the new stock will be adequate for treating 6,000 patients.
Two million N95 face masks and two million personal protection equipment suits will be also procured for medical staff within the budget.
“We will also set up a new center to manage and distribute COVID-19 medicines and medical supplies after the Government Pharmaceutical Organization seals the deal with China and Japan,” he added.
