Samui Gears Up To Treat Divers' Health Problems

[george]

Samui gears up to treat divers' health problems

SURAT THANI: -- A private hospital on Thailand's southern tourist resort of Koh Samui is gearing up to treat the specialist medical problems experienced by a number of the 100,000 divers who visit the island each year.

Dr. Suriya Na Nakhon, a diving specialist based at Bangkok Samui Hospital, said that a number of divers suffered from problems relating to water pressure, including fatigue, muscular aches, tightness of the chest, breathing difficulties and mucus in the blood.

More rarely, gas bubbles in the brain or the spine could lead to paralysis and even death.

Although the hospital only gets around two diving patients each month, the fact that it is installed with a hyperbaric chamber means that it can deal with their complaints.

When there are no diving patients, the equipment is used to treat patients with other conditions, including burns.

Dr. Suriya said that the hospital's services should increase the confidence of divers travelling to Koh Samui, while supporting the government's plans to turn Thailand into a regional medical hub.

--TNA 2005-06-03