Thailand’s Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has denied that the Public Health Ministry has anything to do with the postponement of vaccination appointments, scheduled for this week, by numerous private and state hospitals and health centres in Bangkok and other provinces. PBS World

Anutin denies responsibility for continuing vaccination appointment postponements

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Thailand's Public Health Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has denied that the Public Health Ministry has anything to do with the postponement of vaccination appointments, scheduled for this week, by numerous private and state hospitals and health centres in Bangkok and other provinces.

Mr. Anutin, who is also deputy prime minister, said today (Sunday) that the Public Health Ministry is responsible for allocating vaccine doses to all provinces, including Bangkok, as instructed by the CCSA, adding that how doses are distributed thereafter rests with each province.

Regarding a report that the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's (BMA) health office has run out of vaccines, because it has not received its full allocation from the Public Health Ministry, Mr. Anutin said that the ministry delivered 500,000 doses to the BMA during the first week of June, adding that more vaccine will be delivered later, when the ministry receives them from the suppliers.

Meanwhile, the BMA's Health Office has announced that its 11 hospitals have decided to postpone the appointments, made for June 14th -17th for the first doses, until further notice, as it waits for vaccine supplies from the Public Health Ministry.

The 11 hospitals include Central Hospital, Taksin Hospital, Charoenkrung Pracharak Hospital, Luangpor Thaveesak Hospital, Vechkaroonrat Hospital, Lat Krabang Hospital, Rajpipat Hospital, Sirindhorn Hospital, Bang Khun Thian Hospital for the Elderly, Khlong Samwa Hospital and Bang Na Hospital.

However, appointments for second doses will be kept.

Some state and private hospitals have also announced, on social media, the postponement of vaccination appointments for June 14th -20^th, made via the Mor Prom app., also claiming that they have not received the promised vaccines from Public Health Ministry. These include Siriraj Piyamaarajkarun Hospital, Sinpaet Hospital in the Ramintra area, Vejthani Hospital, Vichaiyuth Hospital, Metropolitan Electricity Authority's Hospital and Rangsit University.