PHUKET: The number of Russian patients being treated at Patong Hospital tripled in 2012, sparking concerns that tourists are bringing complaints with them to be dealt with on holidays.
Patong Hospital is stretched to respond to demand, just like Phuket's other two public hospitals.
Today the Patong facility's Director, Dr Sirichai Silpa-Ar-Cha, showed Governor Maitree Intrusud around the wards.
''The hospital deals with 500 patients a day and that rises to 700 a day in the high season,'' Dr Sirichai told Governor Maitree and the Director of Kathu District, Veera Kerdsirimongkol.
He said the 160-bed hospital - the only one on Phuket's holiday west coast - had 19 doctors, 89 nurses, nine dentists, nine pharmacists and two physiotherapists.
There was provision for more doctors to be sent to Patong if needed, he said.
Latest available figures showed the hospital had treated 42,129 Thais, 16,714 foreigners and 6245 people from Cambodia, Burma and Laos.
So far this year, the doctors had dealt with 1315 victims of motorcycle crash injuries and one death.
Of foreigners who were trated at patong Hospital, the Russians had soared past Australians in 2012 to an unprecedented number around 2500, a graph showed.
Meanwhile, Chinese numbers had moved up much more slowly to 850 cases.
Dr Surin put in a plea today for tour operators to stop sending tourists on boat trips off Phuket when it was unsafe to do so.
''There are days when it's plainly not safe at sea and it would be better for Phuket and for the tourists if tour operators used commonsense,'' he said.
The hospital had embarked on a process of training resort workers in medical treatment and cpr so that help would be at hand more quickly in the event of injuries, he said.
Patong Hospital is stretched to respond to demand, just like Phuket's other two public hospitals.
Today the Patong facility's Director, Dr Sirichai Silpa-Ar-Cha, showed Governor Maitree Intrusud around the wards.
''The hospital deals with 500 patients a day and that rises to 700 a day in the high season,'' Dr Sirichai told Governor Maitree and the Director of Kathu District, Veera Kerdsirimongkol.
He said the 160-bed hospital - the only one on Phuket's holiday west coast - had 19 doctors, 89 nurses, nine dentists, nine pharmacists and two physiotherapists.
There was provision for more doctors to be sent to Patong if needed, he said.
Latest available figures showed the hospital had treated 42,129 Thais, 16,714 foreigners and 6245 people from Cambodia, Burma and Laos.
So far this year, the doctors had dealt with 1315 victims of motorcycle crash injuries and one death.
Of foreigners who were trated at patong Hospital, the Russians had soared past Australians in 2012 to an unprecedented number around 2500, a graph showed.
Meanwhile, Chinese numbers had moved up much more slowly to 850 cases.
Dr Surin put in a plea today for tour operators to stop sending tourists on boat trips off Phuket when it was unsafe to do so.
''There are days when it's plainly not safe at sea and it would be better for Phuket and for the tourists if tour operators used commonsense,'' he said.
The hospital had embarked on a process of training resort workers in medical treatment and cpr so that help would be at hand more quickly in the event of injuries, he said.
is it due to sheer numbers, or a more reckless lifestyle?
Posted by bill on October 7, 2013 19:49