Health Ceiling Collapses at Rural Hospital After Heavy Rain Amidst Ongoing Budget Crisis

[Georgealbert]

 

Picture courtesy of Amarin

 

A rural hospital has suffered significant damage after its ceiling collapsed during a torrential downpour, highlighting its ongoing financial struggles and lack of government support.

 

Photographs posted on Facebook by user Adisak Jarasmatawit show extensive damage to the ceiling of Bung Khla Hospital, located in Bung Khla subdistrict, Bueng Kan province. The damage affected several areas of the facility, including the Emergency Room, Dental Unit, and Drug Rehabilitation Ward.

 

“This is a case of misfortune upon misfortune,” Adisak wrote in his post. “We’ve known the roof was leaking for some time and had reported it to the authorities. But repairing the entire building would require a large sum of money. Right now, the hospital doesn’t even have enough funds to pay staff salaries. Where could the money come from to fix the roof?”

 

The ceiling collapse occurred during the night after heavy rainfall lashed the area. Fortunately, it happened on a weekend and no injuries were reported. However, hospital staff are still assessing whether any medical equipment has been damaged.

 

Bung Khla Hospital, a small community healthcare facility, has reportedly been operating at a loss for years. Local sources say it is chronically underfunded and struggles to provide even basic services to residents in the region.

 

“This incident could have been far worse if patients or staff had been present at the time,” said one hospital employee who asked not to be named. “We’re doing our best, but without urgent financial assistance, we fear further deterioration.”

 

The story has sparked concern on social media and renewed calls for improved infrastructure funding for rural healthcare facilities. So far, no official response has been issued by the Ministry of Public Health.

 

  Adapted by Asean Now from Amarin 2025-07-07

 

 

 

[sammieuk1]

The diagnosis is it's forked' if only there was a multi billionaire reading this story 🤔

[JimHuaHin]

Sadly, not uncommon.  Heard many similar stories and see many buildings in need of urgent repairs at small government health centres and hospitals over the years.

 

But, alas, the military gets all its wants (almost), illegals continue to flood into Thailand, and graft and corruption reign supreme in the government bureaucracy.

[0ffshore360]

And yet I have seen two small hospitals each side of my location undergo massive extensions and upgrades on the last 3 years.

 

[hotchilli]

9 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

Right now, the hospital doesn’t even have enough funds to pay staff salaries. Where could the money come from to fix the roof?”

Maybe the governor will chip in now...

[Georgealbert]

UPDATE
Ceiling Collapse at Bung Khla Hospital Sparks Urgent Repairs

 

Pictures courtesy of Matichon.

 

Local health authorities have confirmed that emergency repairs are underway at Bung Khla Hospital, following a ceiling collapse caused by heavy rainfall. The incident occurred after persistent downpours on 5 July, which overwhelmed the building’s inadequate drainage system.

 

The collapse affected the Emergency Room (ER) and Dental Department, prompting temporary suspension of dental services. However, all patients and medical staff were unharmed and emergency services have already resumed.

 

Dr Phamon Darun, Chief of the Bueng Kan Provincial Public Health Office, visited the hospital on 7 July alongside Deputy Chief Dr Surapong Laksawut to assess the damage. Their inspection revealed that the ceiling failure resulted from rainwater overflow due to undersized drainage outlets, around the hospital’s two-storey accident and emergency building. Water had seeped through structural cracks, weakening the ceiling panels.

 

In addition to the poor drainage, Dr Phamon cited a lack of technical maintenance staff as a contributing factor to the incident. Despite this, he assured the public that repairs were not extensive and could be carried out with an estimated budget of less than 10,000 baht. Work on the ER ceiling has already begun.

 

In terms of future improvements, the hospital plans to enlarge the rainwater drainage channels to prevent similar incidents during heavy rainfall. Dr Phamon stated that funding for this work would be coordinated with Bung Khla Hospital and other agencies.

 

When asked whether public donations would be needed, Dr Phamon was clear: “There is no need for donations. The required funds are available.”

 

Some dental equipment was damaged, including a dental drill and ultrasonic scaler, though the main dental unit remains operational. Replacement tools will be procured using provincial or central budgets if necessary. The Emergency Room has already reopened, and dental services are expected to resume on 8 July.

 

Bung Khla Hospital is a small 30-bed community facility serving three subdistricts and 25 villages, with a population of around 14,000. The hospital has just one full-time doctor, Dr Chaiphruek Woraroemsakul, who also serves as the hospital director. It is supported by 23 nurses, with two additional doctors rotating monthly from other hospitals arranged by the provincial health office.

 

 

  Adapted by Asean Now from Matichon 2025-07-08

 

 

 

 

 

[JimHuaHin]

On 7/7/2025 at 7:14 AM, 0ffshore360 said:

And yet I have seen two small hospitals each side of my location undergo massive extensions and upgrades on the last 3 years.

 

I have seen almost the same in an adjoining district - the main public hospital in the district has acquired 4 new large multistory buildings over the past 5-6 years; but government health centres and clinics in the district (that I am familiar with) have received no new facilities and many repairs have been neglected due to lack of funding.

[0ffshore360]

1 hour ago, JimHuaHin said:

I have seen almost the same in an adjoining district - the main public hospital in the district has acquired 4 new large multistory buildings over the past 5-6 years; but government health centres and clinics in the district (that I am familiar with) have received no new facilities and many repairs have been neglected due to lack of funding.

It may be that given the ability of the general population to travel to larger health centers the viability of maintaining copious local clinics has proven uneconomic.

Each of the 3 clinics I am aware of within 5 kilometer radius of my residence boasts a Doctor, Registered Nurse and an Administrative person who for the vast majority of clinic hours do very little. 

In addition there is a small fleet of modern Ambulances on call from my Amphur based Public Hospital.

Admittedly the facilities visible in the images of this topic suggest a Hospital of some size if it includes dentistry so my comments may be redundant in that specific situation.