Hat yai: “Suchart” immediately ordered the dispatch of a Royal Thai Army helicopter carrying a generator and repair technician to assist Hat Yai Hospital. Suchart ordered a helicopter carrying a generator and repair technicians to assist Hat Yai Hospital, which lost power due to flooding. He also modified the helicopter, removing the seats to increase space for stretchers, and transporting emergency patients.
According to Thai News Agency, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Suchart Chomklin revealed that the ministry has urgently ordered the Flight Operations Center to dispatch a Royal Thai Navy helicopter to transport a generator and a team of Royal Thai Navy technicians to Hat Yai Hospital in Songkhla Province to support electrical system repairs affected by the flooding.
This operation was initiated after coordination with Mr. Phatthana Promphat, Minister of Public Health, and Mr. Peerapol Puranachote, Deputy Governor of the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA). The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MNRE) made two consecutive flights, delivering equipment and electricians to Hat Yai Hospital. The system is currently being installed to ensure it can be restored to service as quickly as possible.
Mr. Suchart further revealed that to address the flooding situation in the Hat Yai area, which remains critical, an urgent order has been issued to convert all helicopters operated by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment into full-fledged air rescue units. All passenger seats have been removed to increase space for stretchers, medical equipment, and emergency personnel.
“We must maximize the number of patients rescued per flight and fly as frequently as necessary, as ground transportation has been severely disrupted in several areas,” said Mr. Suchart.
Yesterday morning’s mission saw the Royal Thai Army transporting 22 newborns, 15 critically ill adults from Hat Yai Hospital, and six critically ill patients from Bangkok Hospital-Hat Yai to a high-rise building at Songklanagarind Hospital (PSU). Meanwhile, in the afternoon, seven more patients were transported to a prepared evacuation center.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, through the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR), has mobilized 15 water rescue teams from 13 agencies, including Marine and Coastal Resources Offices 1-10 and three research centers. They will deploy three speedboats, 12 rubber boats, 10 flat-bottomed boats, 21 support vehicles, and 74 maritime specialists.
The operation covers the lower Gulf of Thailand, the central Gulf of Thailand, and the lower Andaman Sea, with a focus on hard-to-reach and isolated areas. The government emphasizes that no one is left behind and is mobilizing all available resources, including helicopters, boats, and specialized personnel, to reach every location 24 hours a day. We urge everyone to be patient and stay safe. We will overcome this crisis together.