On January 14, 2022, Labour Minister Mr. Suchart Chomklin visited the area to check the readiness of the COVID-19 vaccination for the third jab (booster dose) for insured persons under Section 33 of Safe Skin Medical and Scientific (Thailand) Co., Ltd., at the ASEAN Plaza Shopping Center, Hat Yai, Kanchanavanich road, Hat Yai Subdistrict, Hat Yai District, Songkhla Province. Secretariat to the Labour Minister Mr. Suthep Chitvong, the Social Security Office’s Secretary-General, Mr. Boonsong Thapchaiyut, Songkhla Provincial Governor Mr. Jetsada Chitrat, and executives of Sikarin Hospital, Hat Yai Branch and Hat Yai Nakarin Co., Ltd., joined the occasion. Mr. Suchart said that the government under the leadership of Prime Minister and Minister of Defense General Prayuth Chan-ocha, and Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan, who oversees the Ministry of Labour, is concerned for the people and those affected by COVID-19. The Ministry of Labour was instructed to help workers and heal those affected. In the past, the Ministry of Labour has taken launched various important measures, including proactive screening with RT-PCR 100% under the “Workforce Fighting Together” project, setting up vaccination centers for Section 33 insured persons, operating the Factory Sandbox project to maintain employment, remedies to insured persons under Sections 33, 39 and 40, in 29 provinces, reduced contributions and increased unemployment benefits and projects to promote and maintain employment levels in SMEs.
Mr. Suchart said that Songkhla Province has importance to the country’s economic sector. In the past, the Songkhla Social Security Office and Sikarin Hospital in Hat Yai conducted 11,960 doses of COVID-19 vaccinations, divided into 6,375 doses of the first dose and 5,585 doses of the second dose from the outbreak. As the COVID-19 virus continues to mutate, vaccinations are an important measure to build immunity and reduce the severity of the disease. Therefore, he assigned the Social Security Office to coordinate with employers to survey the need for a third dose of COVID-19 vaccinations. They produced a web-service system and set up COVID-19 vaccination points for the third dose, for Section 33 insured persons in Bangkok and important economic areas in ten provinces (Songkhla, Chonburi, Rayong, Chachoengsao, Samut Prakan, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Nakhon Pathom, Samut Sakhon, and Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya). A total of 13 vaccination sites will begin simultaneously on January 17.
Songkhla Province currently has 9,400 establishments, with approximately 188,000 insured persons. Those who will receive the third dose of the COVID-19 vaccine (booster dose) are insured persons under Section 33. On this occasion, they were employees/insured persons of Safe Skin Medical and Scientific (Thailand). Approximately 200 people were vaccinated.
“I would like to thank the governor of Songkhla Province for helping to drive the Ministry of Labour’s work and mission to the workforce in all sectors, to ensure they are taken care of and are well protected. I also thank the staff from all sectors for their continuous cooperation with the Ministry of Labour, including those from Sikarin Hospital Hat Yai and the ASEAN Plaza Hat Yai executives who supported the vaccination site today. I would like to ask all insured persons and the people to be confident that the government, the Ministry of Labour, and related agencies are ready to support and assist the province’s operations in all matters following various measures to develop the country according to the government’s policy “we will not leave anyone behind.” We will overcome the COVID-19 crisis together,” concluded Mr. Suchart.
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Division of Public Relations
14 January 2022
