Electric Wheelchair Is Donated By Businessmen

[wpcoe]

Somehow I'm not clear on the plot here. The following article appears on page two of the current (Vol.7, No.5, 16-30 Nov 2007) edition of Pattaya Today, but I can't find it on their web site:

Electric wheelchair is donated by businessmen

Details released of new Pattaya hospital

Chairman of the Ocean 1 Tower project Bruno ###### and some business friends arrived at city hall to present an electrically operated wheelchair to the Pattaya hospital which is to be built on Soi Bukao. Local mayor Nirun Wattanasartsathorn said the wheelchair was valued at 200,000 baht and had been specially ordered from America.

He added that the new hospital was urgently needed as the only other local government hospital was at Banglamung and oversubscribed every single day. Most of the patienst were Thai but there was a growing number of foreigners turning up too.

Khun Nirun explained that the design for the new building was 90% completed with the strong possiblity that actual building could begin in January next year. The total budgetary allocation was 135 million baht with about half of that in the estimeates for the currenty year. One of the plannign features, the mayor commented, was a car park big enough to accommodate all visitors in a crowded district of the resort. Mr ###### told reporters that he felt the hospital initiative was very deserving of support and that he would be helping on the financial front from time to time.

[picture of about a dozen people posing with the wheelchair.]

So a wheelchair now sits somewhere in storage for a hospital whose plans are 90% complete with a "strong possibility" for its construction to start next year? Great photo op and opportunity to plug a real estate project, but...

Or, is the wheelchair going to be in continuous use elsewhere until the new hospital is opened, hence making it a donation of a heavily-used wheelchair?

(<deleted>? Apparently Mr. P-i-n-g-e-l's family name is censored by the forum software???)

[Humphrey Bear]

135 million baht?? Equals just over 4 million dollars.

The last hospital I built had a budget of 400 million dollars (and I spent it all)

But the car park could get a lot of vehicles off the roads around Soi Buakheow - maybe some of them even visiting the hospital.

There'll be dam_n-all equipment in the building for that money.

[PhilHarries]

Very strange case, donating equipment for a hospital not yet started does seem a bit philanthropical in the extreme.

Not being familiar with the Ocean 1 Tower project I wonder does it need a little local political help with building regs?

Also, forgive me if I'm wrong or out of date, but why would a hospital need an electric wheelchair. I thought they all use the pushalong type giving work for the porters and one wheelchair is hardly going to make a difference anyway.

No, I still detect the odour of a large rodent.

[wpcoe]

135 million baht?? Equals just over 4 million dollars.

Today's Pattaya Mail (page 7) has an article headlied "135M baht budget requested for new hospital," so I doubt it was a typo in the Pattaya Today article.

[threelegcowboy]

Wrong donation wrong time.

When the hospital is built, that is the time to donate a wheel chair.

An electric wheel chair in a hospital? I would think that an electric requires some trainning and getting use to using for an individual.

Guess its make work. Looking to cripple by having this hazard.

[Humphrey Bear]

It probably looks more like a golf buggy than an invalid chair.

The local news last night was talking about an extension to the existing hospital, rather than a new location - but maybe that is just my English. I would anticipate that a new location would be an annex rather than an extension. And for the money in the budget this can be no more than a polyclinic.

[wpcoe]

It probably looks more like a golf buggy than an invalid chair.

The local news last night was talking about an extension to the existing hospital, rather than a new location - but maybe that is just my English. I would anticipate that a new location would be an annex rather than an extension. And for the money in the budget this can be no more than a polyclinic.

Maybe the local news last night was talking about a different project?

The original Pattaya Today article says the building will be on "Soi Bukao." Is there a hospital there now to which an extension could be added?

From the Pattaya Mail article:

"The building divides essentially into two halves, first to the third floors will be a modern hospital-style buliding, but the two floors above that will be incorporated into a more traditional roof design to avoid the appearance of a block-shaped structure. The hospital is rated as a medium-size one, with a capacity of 82 beds."

Doesn't sound like an extension to an existing hospital, does it?

Here's what the wheelchair itself looks like:

[grahamhc]

Yes, I saw the item on one of Pattaya's news programmes and wondered why to donate is so soon with completion at least a year away. I almost forgot it was election time and Ocean One still is not yet completed, and politicians are looking for "Street Cred" from the voters..

Yet another item to disappear before the building completion. Or was it just borrowed for the PR Shoot?

Talking about "Disappearing City Council Items", has anyone seen the ONE MILLION DOLLAR Sea Rescue boat that was presented earlier this year, now that High Season is here and it will be needed?

The building plot is behind that Public Heath Centre on Soi Buakhoa and used to the be Refuse (Trash) Cart deport and backs onto the Fire Station

On building height comment, if Siam Sawasdee , LK hotels and the Mercure can go that high within 500 Metres, why cannot the Hospital, which is more important to the community, or has Bangkok Hospital Pattaya put their foot down saying "NO! - we can be the only Hospital Tower Block"

Edited November 25, 2007 by grahamhc

[Rimmer]

SNIP

Talking about "Disappearing City Council Items", has anyone seen the ONE MILLION DOLLAR Sea Rescue boat that was presented earlier this year, now that High Season is here and it will be needed?

SNIP

Saw two very large brand new orange police patrol boats being launched off the slipway in Jomtien yesterday, wonder if that is them?

[Humphrey Bear]

Yes, I saw the item on one of Pattaya's news programmes and wondered why to donate is so soon with completion at least a year away. I almost forgot it was election time and Ocean One still is not yet completed, and politicians are looking for "Street Cred" from the voters..

Yet another item to disappear before the building completion. Or was it just borrowed for the PR Shoot?

Talking about "Disappearing City Council Items", has anyone seen the ONE MILLION DOLLAR Sea Rescue boat that was presented earlier this year, now that High Season is here and it will be needed?

The building plot is behind that Public Heath Centre on Soi Buakhoa and used to the be Refuse (Trash) Cart deport and backs onto the Fire Station

On building height comment, if Siam Sawasdee , LK hotels and the Mercure can go that high within 500 Metres, why cannot the Hospital, which is more important to the community, or has Bangkok Hospital Pattaya put their foot down saying "NO! - we can be the only Hospital Tower Block"

Thanks for the info.

Basic pricing for a hospital, rather than a nursing home or clinic, is in the region of 500k US $ per bed in Western areas - so this could be reduced to 300k by using all-Thai input. That includes for modest technology, operating theatres, etc. State-of-the-art comes more expensive.

So 82 beds would require a budget of six-times what has been announced.

I can see this as a dormitory, with the hospital bussing patients off to Banglamung for operations and letting them recover on the bus back.

[grahamhc]

Saw two very large brand new orange police patrol boats being launched off the slipway in Jomtien yesterday, wonder if that is them?

Just looked it up in Pattaya Mail dated 02-SEP-05, and found it was a white boat costing 72.5 MILLION BAHT.

It claims to be used in Koh Larn waters, but surprised it never comes this way on patrol.

"City takes ownership of new 72mn baht rescue boat

by Suchada Tupchai

As part of the efforts to provide safety on the region’s waters the city has purchased a new rescue vessel, the 72.5 million baht Pattaya 801, which was launched on August 19 near Ocean Marina.

The 24.4 meter long and 5.48 meter wide boat comes complete with the latest safety equipment, sonar, global positioning system, and a full-fledged onboard critical care unit.

Designed and built locally, and powered two 820 horsepower engines, the Pattaya 801 can travel up to 20 nautical miles per hour in rough conditions. On deck are two water cannons used for fire fighting which can spray water and foam up to 70 meters, and a 30-meter hose is also stowed on board.

Sutham Petchgate, Larn Island community chief who represented the city upon receiving the vessel said, “This is the first time Pattaya has taken real steps to ensure marine safety. The vessel has the best and latest equipment and can handle rough conditions.

“This step is timely as there has been an increase in accidents in the bay, specifically near Koh Larn and in surrounding waters.” "

http://www.pattayamail.com/631/news.shtml#hd7

[monty]

The Pattaya sea rescue boat (yacht) can sometimes be seen in Ocean Marina, moored next to a luxury yacht of roughly the same size, with the same engines and custom built by a local shipyard, just like the rescue boat.

The price of the yacht similar to the rescue boat was 12 million Baht (I know, since I was the one who ordered it!), so I would guess there is some mighty expensive equipment on board of that rescue boat

They probably have the same problem I experienced, which is the fact that seagoing boats tend to eat your savings away faster then any wife could manage!

Hence I've sold mine, and possibly Pattaya city have decided to do just the same...

[mikethevigoman]

Wrong donation wrong time.

When the hospital is built, that is the time to donate a wheel chair.

An electric wheel chair in a hospital? I would think that an electric requires some trainning and getting use to using for an individual.

Guess its make work. Looking to cripple by having this hazard.

Dangerous things !