Drop in number of people getting ill near gold mine, top health official says

Dr Amnuay Gajeena, head of the department, visited Tambon Khao Jedluk Health Promoting Hospital on Saturday to inspect the progress of a primary occupational and environmental medicine clinic and health officials monitoring people who live around the mine, operated by Akara Resources.

Amnuay said the department was working on a proactive approach to look after people’s health and the environment, and in regard to the inspection, he said healthcare problems of people near the mine had decreased in the two years since the department set up shop there.

“There are around 500 people that we keep monitoring – their health – and we find out that their sicknesses were reduced. But we are still keeping on with our work,” he said.