“The additional 300 beds have been set up at the University hall because all beds at the first field hospital at Prince of Songkla University (PSU) are already fully occupied,” Phuket Vice Governor Pichet Panapong explained after the inspection on Saturday (July 31).
“Rassada Municipality is responsible for arranging the paper beds, bedding, and fans donated by private companies. There are also partitions and mosquito wire screens. The field hospital is expected to be ready and open for patients on Aug 3,” he said.
“I have to thank all officers, staff, and volunteers for together helping to set up this field hospital,” V/G Pichet added.
The last update on bed occupancy at PSU came last Monday (July 26) by Dr Chalermpong Sukontapol, Director of Vachira Phuket Hospital. He explained that of the total 170, 75 were occupied at that stage.
“However, there have since been a number of green-zone patients detected, so we need to prepare the PRU as another field hospital with 70 beds in the first phase and a total of 195 beds in the second phase,” Dr Chalermpong said.
Meanwhile, Phuket Provincial Public Health Office (PPHO) Chief Dr Kusak Kukiattikoon outlined the current situation with bed occupancy rates at hospitals in Phuket in a special live broadcast on Friday (July 30).
“Right now, there are 694 beds in all hospitals on the island. Of that number 249 beds, or 36%, have been occupied, and 445 remained unoccupied,” he said.
“We have 33 intensive-care units (ICUs) for red zone patients and 16 rooms have been occupied. Among the 16 patients, only two patients need to use the hyperbaric oxygen therapy,” Dr Kusak said.
From the board which Dr Kusak used to explain, there are 226 rooms for yellow zone patients of which 115 rooms are occupied. There are 435 rooms for green zone patients of which 130 are occupied.