Phuket hospital seeks donations to build operating rooms
A Phuket hospital is making a desperate plea for public donations to build its own operating rooms, after receiving woefully insufficient funding from the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH).
Chalong Hospital, which serves more than 160,000 patients a year across the Rawai, Karon and Chalong areas, is in urgent need of six modern operating theatres — but only has a fraction of the money needed to make them a reality.
“We need 56.9 million baht to build an operating room with all the necessary medical equipment,” said Chalong Hospital Director Chuchart Nitchawatana. “So far, we’ve only received 4.7 million baht from the MoPH.”
An additional 10 million baht has been provided by the Phuket Provincial Administrative Organisation (PPAO), but the funding still falls far short. “We still need over 38 million baht to meet the goal,” said Chuchart.
The planned fourth-floor facility will initially feature three fully functional operating theatres, with three more to be added as funding becomes available. Despite the urgency, only 274,116.76 baht in donations had been received as of April 17.
“The doctors and medical staff we’ve sent for specialist training are returning in July. We aim to have the operating room ready by December,” Chuchart said. “We’ll keep accepting donations until September 30, and start construction right after.”
He confirmed that Chalong Hospital no longer operates under the management of Vachira Phuket Hospital and must now fund its own development and equipment.
A senior executive from the Phuket Public Health Office (PPHO), who asked not to be named, admitted the MoPH’s funding process is painfully slow.
“Hospitals can request budgets, but the approval and distribution takes time — too much time when patients are waiting.”
The situation mirrors a recent appeal by Vachira Phuket Hospital, which raised over 290 million baht in donations to complete the island’s first government-run cancer treatment centre.
Despite Phuket generating nearly 500 billion baht in tourism revenue last year, critical funding for healthcare remains overlooked, reported The Phuket News.
Donations to Chalong Hospital’s campaign are tax-deductible at double the value, making it a win-win for residents and businesses who step up.
For details or to donate, visit Chalong Hospital’s website, call 076-384342-3 ext. 2702 or 088-2940994, or email donate.chalonghospital@gmail.com.
Bank Account:
Account Name: Donations to improve the operating room at Chalong Hospital
Account Number: 664-2-95110-7
Bank: Krungthai Bank, Chalong Branch
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