Rapid Assessment for Resilient Recovery and ... - GFDRR

Private sector health facilities, which are mainly located in urban areas, were affected considerably
by the floods. Although floods are relatively common in the central plains, major
urban areas had largely been well protected from flood destruction in recent years, due
to a number of flood prevention measures organized by local authorities and the central
government. However, the extent of the 2011 flooding is significantly more severe, and
existing flood prevention mechanisms were overwhelmed, resulting in broken water dams
and severe flooding in the majority of urban areas in central Thailand. Over 73 percent
of Ayuthaya’s and Pathum Thani’s urban areas have been severely flooded for over two
months. Nearly 40 percent of Nonthaburi’s urban areas have been flooded for over two
months, while another 30 percent have been flooded for one month. In Bangkok, over 35
percent of its urban areas have been flooded for one month, while an additional 10 percent
flooded for two months. 106
The extent of the flooding in urban areas in central Thailand, particularly in the Greater
Bangkok area (which include Pathum Thani and Nonthaburi), which have the highest concentration
of private health facilities, have severely affected many private hospitals and a
great number of large and small private medical and dental clinics, causing a large amount
of damage. The cost of damage to private health facilities is estimated at THB 954 million
based on satellite data on flooded areas, but the real cost of damage will not be known
until floodwaters have fully receded.
Table 48 summarizes the cost of damage by four categories – structural, furniture, medical
equipment and medical supplies. The value of damage is estimated based on the cost to
rebuild or repair facilities that were totally or partially destroyed, as well as the replacement
value for the furniture, medical equipment, and medical supplies that were destroyed, assuming
that they are being replaced with the same capacity and quality prior to the flood.
Damage Category
Health Sector Damage (Millions THB)
Public Private Total
Table 48: Health sector
– Damage in Thai baht,
millions
Structural
515.7
282.6
798.3
Furniture
144.3
402.0
546.3
Medical Equipment
66.6
268.9
335.5
Medical Supplies
2.2
1.1
3.3
TOTAL
728.8
954.6
1,683.5
Most of the damage to public sector health facilities is structural, as many public health
facilities straddle across large, spread-out areas and received full exposure to floodwater
currents, though no health facilities were fully destroyed by the floods. The structural
damage caused by flood currents tend to be more severe in district hospitals and health
centers/health promotion hospitals which are located in semi-urban and rural areas, where
the water currents were stronger as they were not obstructed by buildings.
106 Flood Data from Satellite Image (1 August - 16 November 2011).
140 THAI FLOOD 2011 RAPID ASSESSMENT FOR RESILIENT RECOVERY AND RECONSTRUCTION PLANNING