The committee tasked with developing Thailand into an international medical hub on Friday approved in principle guidelines for opening four more airports in the provinces for medical tourists.
Tares Krassanairawiwong, director general of the Department of Health Service Support, said the airports in question are U-Tapao, Samui, Chiang Mai and Phuket.
Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi and Don Mueang airports are already open to medical tourists.
The committee is awaiting approval from the Centre for Covid-19 Situation Administration (CCSA).
Currently, there are 1,123 foreigners staying in alternative hospital quarantine, of whom 652 are patients and 471 are their companions. This group has brought Bt114 million in revenue so far.
Meanwhile, a CCSA sub-committee has approved the concept of wellness or spa quarantine and the department will soon draw up guidelines to govern this service.
EconOct 02. 2020Deputy Prime Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow
By The Nation
Deputy Prime Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow said on Friday that though the government has no plans to set up a fund to stabilise the stock market, it might launch some tools to shore it up.
The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) Index ended the week at 1,237.54, down 10.05 points or 0.81 per cent. Total transactions stood at Bt54.24 billion with an index high of 1,246.78 and a low of 1,231.11.
The Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) Index closed at 1,237.54 on Friday, down 10.05 points or 0.81 per cent. Total transactions amounted to Bt54.24 billion with an index high of 1,246.78 and a low of 1,231.11.
In the morning session, an analyst at Krungsri Securities expected the day’s index to fluctuate between 1,240 and 1,255 despite positive sentiment over a new US$2.2-trillion US stimulus bill.
“The sharp fall in the oil price due to uncertainty over fuel demand, and foreign investors’ mass sell-offs of Thai shares will pressure the index,” he said.
Around midday, the SET index plummeted 13.09 points or 1.04 per cent to 1,235.25 following news that US President Donald Trump had contracted Covid-19.
The 10 stocks with the highest trade value today were STGT, PTTEP, PTT, MICRO, KBANK, MINT, STA, DIF, AOT and BBL.
As of 4.30pm, the price of oil dropped by US$1.31 or 3.38 per cent to $37.41 per barrel, while gold dropped by $3.60 or 0.19 per cent, to $1,912.70 per ounce.
Elsewhere in Asia, Japan’s Nikkei Index closed at 23,029.90, down 155.22 points or 0.67 per cent.
Stock markets in China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan were closed for the Moon festival, while South Korea’s KOSPI market was closed for the Chuseok festival.
Energy Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow said his ministry is in the process of preparing guidelines and criteria related to community power plants and the report should be ready this month.
He said these new power plants should promote the cultivation of new energy crops, increase jobs and generate income.
The report should be handed over to the National Energy Policy Council before the end of this month and the pilot 100 to 150 megawatt plant should be operating by the end of the year.
“Power plants should be placed in an area where 80 per cent of the land is devoted to energy crops and the remainder to fast-growing plants such as Napier grass and Earleaf acacia,” Supattanapong said.
He added that energy production businesses will have to adapt to new conditions once community power plants kick off.
Short sales shot up 251 per cent on Thursday after the Stock Exchange of Thailand (SET) implemented the old short sales regulation, or the zero-plus-tick rule.
Short sales value rose to Bt2.1 billion, from the average of Bt600 million per day in September.
Previously, the SET used the uptick rule that allowed investors to engage in short-selling only when the share price was higher than the latest trading price, to mitigate market volatility. It announced recently that it would use the old zero-plus-tick rule, which enables investors to engage in short-selling when the share price is higher or equal to the latest trading price from October 1 onwards.
Nuttachart Mekmasin, assistant managing director at Trinity Securities, expected the value of short sales to rise over Bt1 billion due to liquidity in making transactions and high stock valuation.
“Short sales would cause the SET to fall below 1,200 points because the index would move in line with reality after the previous uptick rule was changed,” he said.
The top five shares with the highest short sales on Thursday were Kasikornbank (KBANK) Bt158.12 million, Minor International (MINT) Bt132.73 million, PTT Exploration and Production (PTTEP) Bt124.31 million, Airports of Thailand (AOT) Bt108.24 million, and Charoen Pokphand Foods (CPF) Bt104.45 million.
The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) has joined hands with Spain’s Wallbox Chargers SL to enter the smart electric vehicle charging service business.
Egat assistant governor Jiraporn Sirikum said that the company had signed a partnership agreement on September 28 with Wallbox Chargers SL, a Spanish startup company that has been successful in developing and manufacturing the world’s first residential-use smart bi-directional charger, to jointly develop the Smart EV charging service charger between electric vehicles and the electric systems.
The National Power Regulatory will amend the regulations for electricity supply from electric vehicles back to the power system. The Energy Regulatory Commission will prepare the Thai power system to support virtual power plant innovation to buy electricity from the electric vehicle battery into the electric system, especially during peak hours of electricity demand, as a backup system to help strengthen the country’s electricity security.
Wallbox Chargers SL will help Egat develop a smart electric vehicle charging service that is suitable for Thailand.
Egat has been granted the right to provide maintenance services and equipment installation, including the software myWallbox service, to manage the EV charging station system of operators under the Wallbox brand.
In the first phase, Egat has started providing Wallbox service to car manufacturers and prepare to develop a hotel business model to attract other organisations to join EV life.
KE Group teams with Alibaba Cloud to launch ‘first-in-Asia’ SKY OS platform for retail and real estate sector
Oct 01. 2020
By The Nation
Luxury real-estate-developer KE Group and global tech leader Alibaba Cloud have teamed up to create SKY OS – a platform offering new sales channels backed by big data to malls, shops, restaurants, hotels, offices and more.
A payment gateway and e-wallet are also included to complete the SKY OS loop.
The “SKY” application of the platform integrates different applications from its partners to provide a connected system for clients’ sales and operation management.
SKY OS has five elements:
1. A Loyalty and Campaign module enabling businesses to cultivate big data from their customer database, create the right promotions, build and maintain relationships with members, and optimise results from marketing.
2. O2O (Offline-to-Online) model for businesses to join offline and online channels through integration of sales and marketing operations.
3. Seamless integration via what Alibaba Cloud calls its world-class engine and infrastructure.
4. A massive data analytical engine provided by Alibaba Cloud to give businesses access to big data so they can target customers precisely.
5. Cashless system of e-wallet, e-voucher, e-coupon, and points collection and redemptions that serve most retail businesses’ needs.
KE Group said the platform is open to all, but will be available by the end of this year to tenants of SET-registered Bualuang K E Retail, including CDC Shopping Center, the Crystal Ekamai-Ramindra, Ratchapruek, Chaiyapruek, The Scene, Plearnary Mall, Amorini, Summakorn Place Ratchapruek, Ramkamhang, Rangsit and I’M Park Chula.
KE Group said building a SKY OS platform will cost small and medium-sized businesses between Bt300,000 and Bt1 million, compared to the Bt800,000-Bt5 million it would cost to build their own application.
Ikea to stop selling non-rechargeable alkaline batteries by Oct 2021
Oct 01. 2020
By The Nation
Ikea announced it will remove non-rechargeable alkaline batteries from its global home furnishing range by October 2021, hoping customers who use batteries frequently will make the switch to rechargeable solutions, saving money while also reducing waste over time.
“We are pleased to be phasing out Alkalisk alkaline batteries from our range globally and increasing the focus on our rechargeable batteries,” said Lars Svensson, sustainability director for Ikea Southeast Asia and Mexico. “We hope this enables many in Southeast Asia to opt for an affordable and convenient rechargeable battery, prolonging the life of products and materials while also reducing waste and saving money.”
The nickel metal hydride (NiMH) range of Ladda batteries can be charged up to 500 times. Several current studies show that rechargeable NiMH batteries have a lower environmental impact than alkaline batteries when used in high-energy-consuming devices that are charged on a regular basis, such as toys, flashlights, portable speakers and cameras, Ikea said.
After 10 charges, a rechargeable Ladda battery sold in Ikea’s stores emits lower greenhouse gas than alkaline batteries when obtaining the same amount of energy.
Ikea sold about 300 million alkaline batteries last year around the globe. Customers at its stores in Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia bought some 3.4 million packs of non-rechargeable Alkalisk batteries.
Hypothetically speaking, if all Ikea customers switch from alkaline batteries to rechargeable ones for high-draining devices (and charge these just 50 times), global waste can be reduced by as much as 5,000 tonnes a year, the store said.
At this stage, the lithium-ion button cell battery called Plattboj will be kept in the range as some applications currently being sold by Ikea require a button cell battery to function, it added.
Micro Leasing (MICRO), a financing service provider for second-hand trucks, expects to meet its lending growth target of 30 per cent this year to between Bt2.4 billion and Bt2.5 billion, manging director Winit Piyamaythang said on Thursday.
The company began trading in the Stock Exchange of Thailand on Thursday.
The listing will help enhance the company’s competitiveness, broaden expansion opportunities as well as strengthen its capital base.
Fundraising will be allocated to its hire-purchase business expansion, loan repayment and investment in the IT system for the development of a mobile lending application.
MICRO provides hire purchase financing services of second-hand trucks for commercial operation as well as other loan services with second-hand trucks as collaterals.
Walmart’s next health foray is Medicare plan with startup Clover
CorporateOct 02. 2020Shoppers wearing protective masks leave a Walmart store in Lakewood, Calif., on July 16, 2020. MUST CREDIT: Bloomberg photo by Patrick T. Fallon.
By Bloomberg · John Tozzi · BUSINESS, HEALTH, RETAIL, HEALTH-NEWS
Walmart will make its first foray into the fast-growing market for privately managed Medicare Advantage plans next year with two products for Georgia seniors jointly branded with insurance startup Clover Health.
The plans will give seniors access to new Walmart Health centers that the retail giant is testing in stores outside Atlanta. Those clinics and other providers in the plan will use Clover’s technology to track patients’ health and improve care, the companies said Thursday.
Walmart’s health-care strategy has been closely watched, and the retail giant is seen as a potential threat to established providers and insurers. The Georgia offering will make Walmart a player in the Medicare Advantage program, a lucrative market dominated by UnitedHealth Group Inc., Humana Inc., CVS Health Corp.’s Aetna unit, and BlueCross BlueShield branded plans, some of which are also expanding their offerings.
More than a third of Medicare beneficiaries opt to get their benefits through private Advantage plans that collect fees from the government in exchange for managing members’ care. The plans often combine traditional Medicare benefits with other services such as vision and dental care, gym memberships, and prescription drug coverage.
Seniors often choose Advantage plans over traditional Medicare to get those benefits, though they may have to agree to use a limited network of doctors and hospitals. Clover’s new plans with Walmart will use a preferred-provider organization network, though Clover said members won’t face additional fees for going out-of-network.
One of the two plans won’t charge monthly premiums, and both will offer free primary care, the companies said. Members will get $400-a-year benefit for over-the-counter health expenses that can be spent in Walmart stores or on its website, similar to a perk the retailer offered Anthem Medicare subscribers through a deal two years ago. Clover will underwrite the insurance plans, branded “LiveHealthy: Clover Powered, Walmart Enhanced.”
Other companies are expanding as well. Cigna Corp. plans to sell Medicare Advantage plans in five new states, and UnitedHealth said its expansion in 2021 in almost 300 counties would be its largest in five years. Humana plans to launch dozens of new plans across hundreds of counties, the company said. Aetna is adding 115 new counties, and Anthem is expanding into more than 80.
Clover said its product with Walmart will be distinguished by low costs and convenience. “Our vision is, we deliver care wherever our members want to get care,” said Andrew Toy, Clover’s president and chief technology officer. A Walmart spokeswoman said company officials weren’t available for interviews. In addition to Walmart’s health clinics, the network will include 31 hospitals and 8,000 providers in the region, which covers eight Georgia counties mostly outside Atlanta.
Walmart began opening health clinics in Georgia stores in 2019 and now has six locations there and one in Arkansas, according to the company’s website. Cash prices are posted in price sheets online and in waiting rooms: $40 for basic office visit and $20 to test for strep throat, for example. The clinics offer primary care, vision, dental care, lab tests and mental health visits.
Walmart will continue expanding its health centers, with seven more Georgia locations planned in the months ahead and additional centers coming in the Chicago area and some cities in Florida, according to a company blog post Sept. 17.
“The demand definitely tells us that Americans are looking for access to quality care, and we think Walmart – its footprint – should be a part of that,” Walmart U.S. Chief Executive Officer John Furner said in an investor conference this month.
Other moves by Walmart into the sector include a collaboration with Oak Street Health, a Medicare-focused primary care company, to open clinics at three supercenters in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, according to a press release this month. The retailer recently formed an insurance agency to enroll customers in Medicare health plans, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported in July, citing job ads and corporate filings. The company also sells monthly supplies of low-cost generic prescription drugs for $4.
Founded in 2014, Clover is among a handful of new entrants like Devoted Health and Oscar that are trying to use technology to improve health care. Backed by almost $1 billion from investors including GV, the venture capital arm of Alphabet Inc., the company has about 57,000 members in seven states and plans to triple the number of counties where it offers plans next year.
Clover’s software for medical professionals, known as Clover Assistant, will be deployed in the Walmart clinics and to other providers in the network. The program analyzes data from patient records, labs, socioeconomic data, and other sources to prompt clinicians to recommend actions like screening tests and adhere to evidence-based treatment guidelines, Toy said.
Deputy Prime Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow 
Shoppers wearing protective masks leave a Walmart store in Lakewood, Calif., on July 16, 2020. MUST CREDIT: Bloomberg photo by Patrick T. Fallon. 
