About 400 volunteers and sailors from the Royal Thai Navy have been busily cleaning up the Hat Yai Hospital for the fifth consecutive day today, in an attempt to restore some facilities so they can resume operations.
Dr. Wiroj Yommuang, the hospital’s director, said today that about 30% of the hospital is currently functioning, adding that it will take another week for half of the hospital to resume operations and a full month for the hospital to be fully operational again.
He said that some medical equipment was damaged by the floods and it may take longer for it to be fixed or replaced.
He said the out-patient clinic at the hospital has, however, been back in operation for the past three days to treat emergency cases, but he admitted that full operations will take time to restore.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet rolled out financial programs to help flood victims in southern provinces today, including:
• 100,000 baht loans for house repairs, repayable within three years and interest free for the first year.
• 100,000 baht loans for flood victims for career rehabilitation, repayable within three years and interest free for the first year.
• Debt and interest moratoria for one year on loans not exceeding one million baht.
The Cabinet also approved the payment of two million baht in compensation for each flood-related fatality in Songkhla province from the Central Fund.
