Patients and medical staff at five border hospitals evacuated to safety

The Ministry of Public Health has ordered patients and medical personnel at five hospitals in Si Sa Ket and Surin provinces to be evacuated for their safety, after Cambodian forces shelled a hospital today.

As for hospitals in Buri Ram, Ubon Ratchathani, Sa Kaeo, Chanthaburi and Trat provinces, which are located along the Thai-Cambodian border, Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin said that evacuations are not yet necessary. Nonetheless, if the situation deteriorates and they are put at risk, evacuation can be undertaken immediately.

The Phnom Dongrak Hospital in Surin was hit by a Cambodian military rocket today, injuring a number of people and damaging the building. The hospital has 30 beds. 19 of the in-patients have been evacuated to another hospital and 19 more were sent home.

Mental health crisis assessment and treatment teams have also been ordered to provide counselling services, both online and walk-in, to people who are suffering from stress or panic, said Somsak.

The minister also said he has instructed hospital administrators to coordinate closely with security officers in the evacuation of patients and their subsequent care at the shelters and to make sure that patients continue to receive their medication.