Unsung Heroes’ of Thailand’s victory over COVID-19: Lessons for India’s Asha workers

An exclusive interview with the doctor who founded Thailand’s little-known but all-powerful brigade of Village Health Volunteers.

Thailand was recently chosen by WHO, together with New Zealand, as role models for their success in curbing Covid-19, and films are being made about both nations.

The country reported its first case of Covid-19 as early as January this year, thanks to a tourist from Wuhan in China visiting the country.

But seven months later, it has only 3,351 cases and only 58 deaths. In fact, for the last 80 days, the country has reported no local Covid-19 cases at all, but only of returnees from abroad.

“No one knows what Thailand is doing right, but so far, it’s working,” the New York Times reported in a recent article.

Thailand is doing many things right, from wearing masks, to washing hands, social distancing, practising high levels of hygiene, following old…

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