Phuket Governor Sophon Suwannarat and PPAO President Rewat Areerob on Friday (Sept 26) formally handed over the funding to the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office, which will oversee the upgrades aimed at increasing treatment capacity, reducing patient referrals to higher-level hospitals and improving the quality of life for residents.
The initiative follows the Ministry of Public Health’s 2024 policy, ‘Decade of Development, Upgrading Community Hospitals’, noted an official report of the announcement.
According to the policy, the project targets three key projects:
* Chalong Hospital (B10mn): Funds will be used to develop an operating room and positive-pressure control system at the 30-bed community hospital, which opened in October 2020. The upgrade will provide sterile air control and modern equipment to support safe surgical services, reduce the need to transfer patients elsewhere, and expand local diagnostic and treatment capacity.
* Patong Hospital (B9.6mn): Located in one of Phuket’s busiest tourist areas, the secondary community hospital will expand its capacity to treat patients with complex illnesses. The improvements are designed to serve both local residents and visitors, lessen the burden on the island’s central hospital, and provide efficient, safe care closer to home.
* Vachira Phuket Hospital (B26.2mn): The island’s main public hospital will strengthen its haematopoietic stem cell transplant services and improve its operating rooms to support advanced treatments for blood cancers such as leukaemia and bone marrow disease. The funding will go toward specialised medical equipment and upgrades to reduce the need to send patients to hospitals outside the province.
PPHO Chief Suthiphon Khonatphong said the projects are being coordinated with hospital administrators to ensure the budget is used effectively and according to plan.
“This investment will help Phuket deliver more efficient, modern and comprehensive medical services, ensuring residents and visitors alike receive high-quality care without needing to travel to other provinces,” Dr Suthiphon said.
The three projects are expected to strengthen Phuket’s healthcare system in the long term, supporting the island’s growing population and status as an international tourism destination, Dr Suthiphon said.