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Public Health Ministry to improve
state-run hospitals nationwide
In an attempt to improve Thailand’s medical services to
patients at state-run hospitals nationwide, the Public Health Ministry will
upgrade its medical centers and provincial hospitals through boosting
personnel and equipment, Dr. Prat Boonyawongvirot, acting permanent
secretary for Public Health, said last Saturday.
Under the four-year plan, medical services at the government-run medical
centers and hospitals will be evaluated every six months from now in a bid
to achieve targets set by each province.
Between 1,800 to 2,000 patients now receive treatment daily at each
provincial hospital.
About 200 medical centers and community hospitals would be upgraded so that
doctors and nurses would be on duty round-the-clock, Dr. Prat said.
Outpatients can see doctors within 30 minutes of arrival, instead of after
an average of some three hours as is the case now , he said. If the symptoms
of the patients are severe, they would be sent to provincial hospital for
treatment.
At present, there are 95 state-run hospitals throughout the country which
provide medical care under the government-sponsored Bt30 health care scheme,
he said.
Fourteen hospitals upcountry are now equipped with sufficient, modern
equipment capable of providing treatment to patients suffering from acute
diseases.
They include central hospitals in the northern provinces of Phrae,
Phitsanulok and Nakhon Sawan; the northeastern provinces of Nakhon
Ratchasima, Si Sa Ket, Roi Et and Kalasin; the eastern province of Chonburi
and Chacherngsao, the central provinces of Ayutthaya and Ratchaburi; and the
southern provinces of Chumphon, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Songkhla. (TNA)
Implementation of mega projects likely to be delayed until mid 2007
The implementation of Thailand’s mega development
projects is likely to be delayed until mid 2007, according to a leading
analyst of Phatra Securities Public Company Limited, Supavuth Saichue.
Supavuth said that the delay will be due to the country’s political
transition - from the present caretaker Thaksin administration to the
post-election Thai Rak Thai-led interim government, which is to focus on the
second-round political reform, to the post-political-reform government.
“Work for the planned political reform is expected to take approximately
12-15 months to complete. During this time, it is unlikely that any mega
projects will be implemented. Instead, the mega projects are expected to be
delayed until the post political reform government is formed,” he projected.
The leading analyst said, however, that the anticipated delay in the mega
project implementation would help ease the country’s current account deficit
in the meantime. This is because the mega development projects will require
up to 50 percent of imported raw materials, according to the leading
analyst. (TNA)
Thailand-ADB to jointly help develop Mekong Sub-region
Thailand and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have agreed
to cooperate in developing countries in the Greater Mekong Sub-region (GMS),
according to Naris Chaiyasoot, director-general of the Ministry of Finance’s
Fiscal Policy Office (FPO).
The agreement was made during a meeting of both parties earlier last week,
Naris told journalists, adding that the accord would help develop the
economy and social activities in Thailand and other GMS’s member countries
on a sustainable basis.
The mutual assistance would cover various fields, including eradication in
trade and investment problems among the countries, and environment and
disease control, he added.
The GMS includes Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, and China’s
southern province of Yunnan.
All six countries share the Mekong River, recognized as a lifeline of
Southeast Asia. (TNA)
Many senior ruling party figures able to takeover as PM, says possible successor
The ruling Thai Rak Thai Party has many suitable
candidates to take over as head of government now that Prime Minister
Thaksin Shinawatra is stepping down from the post, Deputy Prime Minister
Somkid Jatusripitak said last Wednesday.
Dr. Somkid, who is also commerce minister, is widely tipped as a possible
successor to the prime minister.
Thaksin announced his decision to quit last week after a weekend national
election boycotted by the opposition and weeks of streets protests against
his continued rule.
Dr. Somkid said the prime minister was stepping aside to help the
reconciliation process, describing it as a highly moral act of
self-sacrifice for the sake of the nation. Thaksin wanted to see an end to
discord and a swift return to normality, he said.
According to the deputy prime minister, the TRT Party is a major political
party and has many senior members capable of filling the top post. It is the
party’s responsibility to select a suitable person for the premiership, he
said, but now is not the time to discuss the matter.
On the economic woes facing the country, he said it is the duty of all
concerned, regardless of position or political persuasion, to address the
matter. (TNA)
Deposit rates pushed up by sharp fall in bank liquidity, says BOT
The Bank of Thailand (BOT) said last Tuesday that there
had been a marked decline in liquidity in the banking system, citing as
evidence, stiff commercial bank competition for depositors’ funds.
However, BOT Governor M.R. Pridiyathorn Devakula said he believes the major
banks’ move to offer more attractive deposit rates would not affect the
performance of smaller banks, which seem to be able to adapt to the more
competitive environment.
The governor also commented on the possible economic impact of the latest
political developments, saying that regardless of whether Prime Minister
Thaksin Shinawatra stepped aside or not, the country’s exports would
continue to expand. Export growth in February was approximately 23.3
percent. However, he did say Thaksin’s decision to step down would bring
about national reconciliation, which could restore investor confidence.
The BOT chief added that he could not yet assess the overall economic
direction as he had not seen the latest economic figures. (TNA)
PM’s decision to step aside will help boost Thai stock market
Caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinwatra’s decision not
to accept the premiership in the new government will lead to an end of all
political conflicts and have a positive effect on the stock market,
according to a veteran stock analyst.
Kongkiarte Opaswongkarn, president of the Federation of Thai Capital Market
Organizations, said that Thaksin’s decision last Tuesday evening showed his
sacrifice for the sake of the country and he believes that all conflicting
parties will now turn to each other to solve national problems.
He believes that the announcement of Thaksin to step down is a proper one,
especially since the ruling Thai-Rak-Thai (TRT) Party still enjoys the
support of 16 million votes from the April 2 general election, and could
form the new government. More importantly, it could forge ahead with its
economic policies on a continual basis, he noted.
Dr. Kongkiarte said he wants to call on all parties to participate in the
constitutional amendment process to ensure no more problems arise, and the
country’s administration would be smooth.
He said that Thailand can readily recover from any economic damages caused
by the political standoff since impact from the political disturbances were
not severe.
He conceded that the Thaksin administration had proven its ability to boost
the country’s competitiveness and had a strong point in trade and business.
He, therefore, wants the new government to pursue the existing policies. He
projects that the improved political climate would help boost stock
investment in terms of volume and value. (TNA)
Thai cosmetics to be main currency revenue earner this year
Thai cosmetics are likely to earn the country revenue of
more than US$700 million, or over 25 billion baht for this year, according
to the Kasikorn Research Centre (KRC).
The leading think tank projected that exports of Thai cosmetics this year
would grow approximately 12-15 percent and imports of the products would
expand close to 10 percent. This will result in the country earning nearly
30 billion baht.
Thailand’s world market share of the product is expected to be 1-2 percent,
close to that of last year.
Currently, KRC said, Thai cosmetics remain available at a small ratio on the
world market. According to the Global Trade Atlas report, Thailand’s exports
of cosmetics in the first nine months of last year ranked 16th, or accounted
for only 1.14 percent of total exports of the product in the world.
Given that the market share is stable and not considerably high, KRC
believes that Thai cosmetic producers must accelerate adjusting production
and marketing strategies by inventing new products and boosting awareness of
a mixture of cosmetics with Thai herbs, since that is what is gaining
increased popularity overseas.
KRC said Thailand has more variety and abundance of raw materials than its
foreign rivals. What producers should do now is increase the added value of
the product, differentiate its quality, set a price that is acceptable to
main targeted groups of customers, and improve cost management systems.
KRC suggests that cosmetics producers have clear market strategies to
stimulate purchasing decisions and boost awareness of the products.
Additionally, they should build up brand awareness and good relations with
clients to maintain the market share and increase total sales for long-term
survival on the market.
At the same time, KRC said, the government should play an active role in
supporting the exports of cosmetics on a continual basis to ensure the
sustainable growth of the industry and create new jobs in the country. (TNA)
Thai economy likely to experience a slowdown for the next year
The Thai economy is likely to slowdown over the next year
as the post-election government is set to postpone implementations of
mega-projects as well as the negotiations for a free trade area between
Thailand and the United States, according to a veteran capital market
executive.
Kongkiarte Opaswongkarn, president of the Federation of Thai Capital Market
Organizations, said that the snap election on April 2 produced the expected
outcome. However, he could not estimate how it would affect the Thai
business sector and capital market because there is no clear picture of the
new government.
He believes the government will attempt to maintain the economic growth,
while stressing on political reforms as promised.
Kongkiarte suggested that no aggressive policy to stimulate economic growth
would be adopted in its tenure, and that the mega-projects and the
negotiation for the Thailand-US FTA deal would be delayed for a year.
Kongkiarte said he believes caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra will
make a decision regarding his political role soon because he is a swift
decision-maker. The new leader of the country in the post-election period
must be nominated soon because it is a key factor in building up confidence
among foreign investors.
The veteran stock analyst said he wants to see all conflicting parties
respect the majority of voters for the sake of the country’s interest.
At this time, what people are interested in is a constitutional amendment,
not an economic issue.
“The proposed establishment of the unity government is considered an
interesting way out because it is comprised of people with knowledge and
unbiased attitudes,” he said. (TNA)
Overall economy to pick up after PM’s decision to step down
Thailand’s overall economy is set to pick up following
caretaker Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra’s decision to step down from
office, according to the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI).
FTI Vice Chairman Santi Vilassakdanont said that the premier’s announcement
made all parties feel relieved, and following that, anti-Thaksin
demonstrators should disperse.
Thaksin’s move served as a solution to all conflicts that would enable the
government to go ahead with its economic policies and an acceleration of the
constitutional amendment, he projected.
He said he was confident investment in the industrial sector would regain
momentum after a slowdown due to political woes.
He suggested the Board of Investment of Thailand (BOI) take this opportunity
to attract foreign investors without any delay.
Santi believes that the private sector still wants the new government to
forge ahead with the implementation of mega-projects such as the extension
of electric train sections.
He stated that the new premier should be a person with a lot of experience
in economic affairs, and one who is able to form a competent economic team
to help him manage the country’s economy. (TNA)
Bangkok’s new Suvarnabhumi Airport seven months from completion
It will take at least seven months to give finishing
touches to the Thai capital’s new Suvarnabhumi Airport, Deputy Transport
Minister Chainant Charoensiri said.
It is impossible for the Suvarnabhumi airport to be opened commercially in
June as earlier scheduled, as an additional seven months is still needed for
testing systems and to complete unfinished work such as furnishing about 200
shops in the passenger terminals, Gen. Chainun said.
In addition, the specialized heavy-duty canvas used to cover the roof needs
repairing and that alone would take approximately seven months.
Thailand celebrates several public holidays during April, he explained,
saying that the work will be at full speed in May. The state-of-the-art IT
connections for about 40 systems have not been completed and each system and
the overall system must be tested prior to the airport’s functional opening.
The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) will inspect
Suvarnabhumi Airport before the commercial opening, Gen. Chainant said. It
is too soon to talk about the commercial opening at this time. (TNA)
Thailand-Myanmar clinch hydropower deal
Thailand and Myanmar have agreed to jointly build a US$6
billion hydropower plant on Myanmar’s Salween River in the southern part of
Shan state.
The bilateral agreement on the establishment of a joint venture for the
project was signed between the Myanmar Ministry of Electric Power and
Thailand’s MDX conglomerate in Yangon this week.
The 7,110-MW Ta Sang Hydropower Plant, the biggest one in Myanmar, is set to
be completed over the next 15 years. Electricity generated from the plant
will be mainly sold to Thailand. (TNA)
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