Floods damage, halt access to hospitals

UP TO HIS ELBOWS: A city worker stands in water that has flooded a road underneath an expressway in Bang Phlat district of Bangkok. The district office said water pumps that were supposed to drain the area were not working because parts of the equipment had been stolen.

PRACHUAP KHIRI KHAN: Heavy floods rendered four hospitals inoperable for two days after the high water levels damaged infrastructure and cut off access to the facilities, the provincial public health office said on Saturday.

The hospitals across two districts were affected by floods brought on by torrential rain on Thursday night, according to the office.

The authorities were looking at the damage caused the downpours.

The four affected facilities are Kui Buri Hospital, the tambon Don Klang health promotion hospital, and tambon Pa Lom health promotion hospital in Kui Buri district; and Sam Roi Yot Hospital in Sam Roi Yot district.

The rising water knocked down fences and damaged more than 20 medical staff houses within the grounds of some hospitals. Yesterday, the hospitals reopened after the floodwater stopped rising.

Samart Thirasak, the provincial health chief officer, said the office was monitoring the floods which affected the medical facilities.

Sukhum Kanchanaphimai, permanent secretary for public health, meanwhile, said no one was hurt in the floods at the hospitals.

He said some patients with doctor appointments were unable to get to hospitals.

Mobile medical units have been sent to attend to bed-bound patients at their homes as well as those requiring regular kidney dialysis, Dr Sukhum said.

In neighbouring Phetchaburi province, a car carrying three staff members from Kaeng Krachan Hospital in Kaeng Krachan district was swept into a creek by forest run-off in Ban Phu Sai on their return to the hospital from visiting village residents.

The incident took place late on Friday afternoon. The three hospital staff made a narrow escape as they were pulled from the car which was rapidly sinking in the water. They were helped by a rescue team from the Kaeng Krachan National Park. About 30 teachers and students at a school nearby also took part in the rescue.

Last week, Deputy Agriculture Minister Wiwat Salyakamthorn said that despite the floods, some areas of the country were short of water and needed an artificial rainmaking operation.

Artificial rain was needed to replenish dams and reservoirs as the rainy season is predicted to end next week. From March 1 to Oct 2, over 3,800 artificial rainmaking flights were flown and 3,211.43 tonnes of chemicals were used in generating artificial rain in 58 provinces, he said.

About 57.57 million cubic metres of water were created by rainmaking operations between Sept 20 and Oct 2.