Health Ministry awaits Bt669m rehabilitation budget
The Public Health Ministry expects the Cabinet to approve a Bt669-million budget for flood rehabilitation after the waters recede, Minister Witthaya Buranasiri said yesterday.
He said the budget was for the third phase of rehabilitation, and included eight major projects. It had already received approval from the rehabilitation committee on quality of life, headed by Deputy Prime Minister Pol General Kowit Wattana, and is expected to be brought before the Cabinet soon, after which the projects would be immediately implemented, Wittaya said.
Public Health permanent-secretary Paijit Warachit said the eight third-phase projects are: treatment for the sick and injured; rehabilitation for the disabled and the elderly as well as patients with chronic diseases; pandemic prevention and eradication of pests; consumer protection; promotion of healthy behaviours; mental-health rehabilitation; improving community environments as well as public facilities such as tap water and toilets; and food-safety promotion and quality control.
The budget for the fourth phase was expected to be Bt837 million, which would go towards improving infrastructure for public health service providers in the long term, Witthaya said.
