Baht72m purse to turn Phuket into a world-class health tourism hub
Construction of the four medical and healthcare centres
An initial sum of 72.27 million baht will soon be disbursed to turn Phuket into a world-class health tourism hub, the Ministry of Public Health revealed yesterday.
It is a portion of an overall budget worth 1.4 billion baht, approved by the cabinet on March 1 last year, and earmarked for implementing the project, the ministry said.
Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha recently approved the sum to be taken from the government’s contingency fund, said Dr Opas Karnkawinpong, permanent secretary for public health, yesterday.
The money will be used for expenses such as the purchase of land and buildings for this project.
Four international medical and health facilities form the core of the blueprint, namely a medical plaza, a premium long-term care centre, a hospice heart disease treatment centre and a medical rehabilitation centre, he said.
The first phase, which is expected to be completed by the end of this year, also involves a feasibility study and preparation for the launch of construction work next year, he said.
Putting in place the necessary infrastructure has been estimated to cost another 231 million baht, he said.
The construction of the four medical and healthcare centres of the project, meanwhile, will require around one billion baht. However, it has yet to be decided whether the money will be invested solely by the government or by a private company via a concession arrangement, said Dr Opas.
The decision will be based mainly on findings from the ongoing feasibility study, with work on the four centres expected to begin in 2025 and finish in 2026, he said.
Source: https://www.bangkokpost.com/thailand/general/2517444/b72m-purse-to-launch-health-hub
