Floating clinic opens in Kanchanaburi

PHOTO: Pattaya Mail

Last week saw residents and visitors to Srinakaring Dam in Sri Sawat district, Kanchanaburi, in Thailand’s west, witness the first day of operations of a new floating medical unit.

The Bangkok Post reports that the dam is a huge tourist magnet which attracts 800,000 tourist a year in an area where 140 businesses operate and over 600 towing rafts reside. Due to reports of accidents (sometimes with fatal results) the Public Health Ministry’s Health Region 5 came up with the ‘floating clinic’.

The clinic boasts a solar cell power system able to function during power outages, as well as modern and efficient communications systems in case of emergencies. The floating clinic is equipped with beds for check-ups, respirators, medical supplies and basic lifesaving equipment.

The project will provide help to tourists and locals in case medical attention is required. Depending on the severity there are referral vessels such as jet skis and speedboats available for quick access to local hospitals, with helicopter landing pads planned for the near future.

SOURCE: The Bangkok Post