SALADANG, Thailand: Nearly every day, 77-year-old Surin Makradee goes door-to-door in her village in Thailand, visiting every home to check people's temperatures in a routine repeated in communities across the country during the coronavirus pandemic.
"I consider people in the village my family. If I don't educate them, they will not understand the risk of getting infected," Surin said in her village of Saladang in Ang Thong province, about 90km north of Bangkok.
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READ: Thailand reports one new coronavirus case, no deaths
She is a member of the Village Health Volunteers, a long-overlooked network of more than 1 million community workers dating back to a Cold War-era hearts-and-minds programme.
The volunteers have been praised by the World Health Organization (WHO) as "unsung heroes" in Thailands relatively successful efforts to fight the novel coronavirus.
Thailand was the first country outside China to detect a case of the coronavirus, in January, but it has reported only about 3,000 cases and 58 deaths since then.
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"Thailands village health volunteers are unsung heroes working to support the prevention, detection and reporting of COVID-19," said Daniel Kertesz, WHO representative for Thailand, referring to the disease caused by the coronavirus.
Apart from the temperature checks, the front-line health volunteers help the government collect daily health information and watch for flare-ups in infections.
Surin, who has been a volunteer for 38 years and does her rounds by motorcycle, said she is also responsible for monitoring people who have returned from other provinces and need to be in quarantine for 14 days.
"I have to educate those in quarantine to eat and live separately from their family members," she said.
COLD WAR HOLDOVER
Created in 1977, the Village Health Volunteers were set up as part of government efforts to help rural communities at a time when communists insurgents roamed through many parts of the country.
With basic health training, the volunteers help provide rudimentary care and initial diagnoses in areas that are often a long way from a clinic or hospital.
READ: Thais seek sun and surf as officials reopen some beaches
"They were gatekeepers for people in the community to get to medical treatment, and this was important considering the limited resources of our health system," said Chatichai Muksong, a historian at Srinakharinwirot University.
He said volunteers Read More – Source
SALADANG, Thailand: Nearly every day, 77-year-old Surin Makradee goes door-to-door in her village in Thailand, visiting every home to check people's temperatures in a routine repeated in communities across the country during the coronavirus pandemic.
"I consider people in the village my family. If I don't educate them, they will not understand the risk of getting infected," Surin said in her village of Saladang in Ang Thong province, about 90km north of Bangkok.
Advertisement
Advertisement
READ: Thailand reports one new coronavirus case, no deaths
She is a member of the Village Health Volunteers, a long-overlooked network of more than 1 million community workers dating back to a Cold War-era hearts-and-minds programme.
The volunteers have been praised by the World Health Organization (WHO) as "unsung heroes" in Thailands relatively successful efforts to fight the novel coronavirus.
Thailand was the first country outside China to detect a case of the coronavirus, in January, but it has reported only about 3,000 cases and 58 deaths since then.
Advertisement
Advertisement
"Thailands village health volunteers are unsung heroes working to support the prevention, detection and reporting of COVID-19," said Daniel Kertesz, WHO representative for Thailand, referring to the disease caused by the coronavirus.
Apart from the temperature checks, the front-line health volunteers help the government collect daily health information and watch for flare-ups in infections.
Surin, who has been a volunteer for 38 years and does her rounds by motorcycle, said she is also responsible for monitoring people who have returned from other provinces and need to be in quarantine for 14 days.
"I have to educate those in quarantine to eat and live separately from their family members," she said.
COLD WAR HOLDOVER
Created in 1977, the Village Health Volunteers were set up as part of government efforts to help rural communities at a time when communists insurgents roamed through many parts of the country.
With basic health training, the volunteers help provide rudimentary care and initial diagnoses in areas that are often a long way from a clinic or hospital.
READ: Thais seek sun and surf as officials reopen some beaches
"They were gatekeepers for people in the community to get to medical treatment, and this was important considering the limited resources of our health system," said Chatichai Muksong, a historian at Srinakharinwirot University.
He said volunteers Read More – Source
