Labor Minister hands out B26m in aid

PHUKET: Labor Minister Uraiwan Thienthong visited six Phuket hospitals yesterday, distributing more than 26 million baht to help the facilities cope with the financial burden of treating victims of the December 26 tsunami.

Together with Labor Ministry Civil Service Inspector Nakorn Silpa-archa and Phuket Vice Governor Winai Buapradit, K. Uraiwan handed over checks in the following amounts:

Government hospitals: Wachira Phuket Hospital: 16 million baht; Patong Hospital: 5 million baht; Thalang Hospital: 3 million baht;

Private hospitals: Mission Hospital: 1.5 million baht; Bangkok Phuket Hospital: 800,000 baht; Phuket International Hospital: 60,000 baht

K. Uraiwan said that a Labor Department survey of the island had indicated that Kamala and Patong were the two areas most badly affected, with combined damage to 1,500 workplaces, affecting 13,000 employees.

She added that the Phuket Provincial Social Insurance Office has already paid out 482,500 baht for the cremation ceremonies of 24 victims, and that the office expects to pay out a total of over 5.8 million baht in compensation claims, both to the injured and families of the deceased.