Health teams to help villagers affected by Akara’s gold mining activities

[Lite Beer]

Health teams to help villagers affected by Akara’s gold mining activities

PHICHIT: -- The Ministry of Public Health will next week dispatch medical teams from the Health and Diseases Control departments and local health officials to to take care of people living around the gold mines of Akara Resources Company in Phichit province.

The gold mines also covers parts of Phitsanuloke and Petchabun provinces besides Phichit where the company is located.

Deputy Public Health Minister Somsak Chunharis on Friday chaired a meeting of agencies dealing with taking care of the people affected by the mining operations by Akara Resources Company.

Dr Somsak said that the medical teams would provide medical treatment to about 20 sick people no matter whether their sickness was caused by effects from the mining activities or not.

Another team will thoroughly check the health conditions of the second group of villagers, altogether 401 whose blood samples have been tested with excessive heavy metals by Rangsit University. Results of the health checks are expected to be completed in March.

Dr Somsak said that these latest results of health checks could be used to assess how to take care of the other 6,000 people living around the mines.

On top of that, the teams will also check water and vegetable samples in the surrounding areas whether they have been contaminated by pollutants from the mining operations or not.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/health-teams-help-villagers-affected-akaras-gold-mining-activities

-- Thai PBS 2015-02-13

[worgeordie]

I thought the gold mine said the pollution had nothing to do with them,

hope the people have more luck and help to those at Kilty creek..

regards worgeoordie

[rickirs]

"no matter whether their sickness was caused by effects from the mining activities or not."

Will the government also extend such free medical treatment and care to the rest of the nation regardless of the cause of anyone's illness or is this just a political publicity stunt?

[bob6130]

They should check on the Companies health and safety record to make sure the dangerous chemicals are kept out of the ground or the lives of all those people are in danger for greed.