Thai Health Promotion Foundation in collaboration with the Faculty of Social Administration, Thammasat University and the network of social workers competency development project have developed a COVID-19 screening assessment to support communities and migrant workers.

Thai Health Promotion Foundation in collaboration with the Faculty of Social Administration, Thammasat University and 11 Social Welfare Network Organizations carried out a project to develop competency of social workers and social care models to empower and monitor communities and perform social management to patients and those affected by COVID-19 by applying and using the screening assessment tool before planning to support patients and their families.

Mrs. Rapeepan Kumhom, Dean of the Faculty of Social Administration, Thammasat University as the project leader, said that this project started since the first wave of COVID-19. It has strengthened the community to prepare for the new wave of the pandemic and the social workers were trained to use the assessment form for screening before planning to support patients and their families. This way has reduced the process and enabled them to proactively approach the patients which the problems of patients being bullied causing depression and risk of suicide were found. Social workers may further use such tools during crisis or emergency. It is in progress of coordinating with associated organizations and this tool will be deployed digitally in the future.

The existing tool still does not meet the needs of those who work post COVID-19 era. This tool then has been adopted in accordance with the international accounting concept for The World Health Organization (WHO) ’s International Classification of Function, Health and Disability (ICF). 14 questions covering the aspect of family, health, social and economy have been examined by specialists and qualified persons for improvement and trial with Thammasat University Field Hospital. It has been consequently used by over 300 volunteer social workers to assess more than 1,400 COVID-19 patients which can take the self-assessment regarding social problems by completing the information through Google Forms via mobile phone which takes only 5 minutes. After that, the method will be adopted by another 40 hospitals. Currently, it is still under evaluation. It is expected to be concluded by August 2021 and the tool will be deployed for taking care of patients with serious and emerging infectious diseases and will be standardized. The use of assessment tool with local COVID-19 patients will allow the operations more reliable, referrable and it also helps to design a simple and effective treatment program with a quick planning.

Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Thailand does not only affect Thai people, but also migrant workers. Thai Health Promotion Foundation is another network of partners in the project to develop competency of social workers that takes part of consultant, coordinator with hospitals to support migrant workers to receive healthcare by granting them an access through mobile phone and Facebook, contacting interpreters speaking cross-border languages including Burmese, Lao and Khmer language to provide suggestion and collaborate with public and private agencies. From the first wave of COVID-19 until present, more than 30,000 people from Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos including Thailand have been supported with money and donated relief supplies of more than 14 million baht.