B72m purse to launch health hub

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…