BANGKOK, THAILAND – Thailand ordered fuel priority for ambulances after a tightening supply began to disrupt emergency medical services across several provinces.
Ministry orders fuel priority for emergency vehicles
Health Minister Pattana Promphat said on 19 March that the fuel shortage had already affected the operation of Emergency Medical Service vehicles, requiring all hospitals and provincial public health offices to closely monitor the situation and resolve problems immediately. Following coordination within the government, ambulances and rescue vehicles were to receive the highest priority at filling stations, with reserves planned so that the fleet remained ready for deployment at all times.
For hospitals under the Health Ministry, the directive required fuel stocks sufficient for at least one to two days of operation. At the same time, the ministry stressed that stockpiling beyond what was necessary was not acceptable, saying the focus had to remain on controlled reserves and reliable procedures rather than hoarding.
Clinics asked to hold reserves without hoarding
Medical facilities were instructed to balance preparedness with restraint, ensuring they could keep services running through short-term supply disruptions. The ministry underlined that maintaining emergency response capacity depended on both adequate reserves and coordinated planning.
Hospitals were also told to avoid actions that could aggravate local shortages. Instead, they were urged to follow official guidance on minimum stock levels and keep records that would allow authorities to track how the fuel situation evolved in each province.
Coordination with petrol stations and suppliers
Hospitals were asked to coordinate actively with petrol stations and their regular business partners to jointly track inventories and safeguard fuel supplies for ambulances. The goal was to ensure that emergency vehicles were not delayed when refuelling and that the supply chain for the rescue service remained stable despite slower deliveries.
This coordination was intended to give emergency operators clear refuelling points even in districts where retail customers faced restrictions. Authorities expected local health officials to work directly with station managers to keep priority lanes or other mechanisms in place for medical vehicles.
NIEM blames panic and disrupted transport routes
Pichet Nongchang, secretary-general of the National Institute for Emergency Medicine (NIEM), linked shortages in many regions partly to public anxiety, with people refuelling more than usual out of fear of scarcity and potential price increases. International conflicts and war had also disrupted normal transport routes, he said, pushing demand above everyday levels while many stations had not been prepared for such a surge.
According to NIEM, this combination of panic buying and logistical disruption strained fuel availability unevenly across the country. Some areas continued to operate normally, while others reported limits at pumps and longer queues around key stations.
Situation snapshot: Kalasin rated most critical
NIEM assessed the fuel situation on 18 March using levels from 0 to 4 and classified 31 provinces as unaffected at Level 0. In Kalasin, however, conditions reached Level 4, the most critical category, while Songkhla and Nong Bua Lamphu were rated Level 3 because units there partly had to relocate to other areas, lengthening response times.
The higher alert levels indicated that access to fuel was already constraining emergency coverage. In affected provinces, dispatch centres needed to adjust deployment plans to ensure that at least one unit could reach any given area within an acceptable timeframe.
Service gaps: two emergency units in Kalasin halted
In Kalasin, petrol stations had restricted fuel sales, leaving units from the Kut Wa Subdistrict Municipality and the Na Makhuuea Subdistrict Administrative Organisation (SAO) unable to continue operations. According to NIEM, emergency calls in those zones had to be handled by neighbouring units to keep patient transport functioning.
The reallocation meant longer travel distances for some calls and increased pressure on the remaining vehicles. NIEM said these stopgap arrangements were necessary to bridge the service gap until normal fuelling for the grounded units could resume.
Call to petrol stations: reserves requested per area
Since 14 March, NIEM had used its Facebook channels to urge petrol stations to give priority to ambulances at the pumps so that emergency responses and the treatment of critically ill patients would not fail. In parallel, the institute coordinated urgently with the Energy Ministry and fuel providers, asking governors and provincial energy offices in all 77 provinces to ensure reserves of at least 100 litres per area.
For stations near hospitals or at tambon level, NIEM requested reserves of 50 to 100 litres to guarantee access for local emergency fleets. These quantities were intended as dedicated buffers for ambulances rather than general retail stock, forming a basic safety net in case of further delivery delays.
14,213 emergency vehicles need over 71,000 litres daily
Nationwide, there were 14,213 emergency vehicles, with average consumption at about 5 litres per vehicle per day if each conducted one patient transport daily, according to Pichet Nongchang. With an average distance of 30 kilometres per mission, this translated into a total daily demand of around 71,065 litres.
Pichet said this calculation highlighted the importance of reliable refuelling options for emergency services. Even small disruptions in supply, he noted, could quickly affect the ability of ambulances and rescue units to reach patients in time.