New Red Cross facility for Phuket
The Thai Red Cross Phuket is building a brand new headquarters in Phuket city. Operating currently from their office space near the Provincial Hall, the organization, growing everyday, is rapidly outgrowing the space available, and the new building now in construction near the employment office in is expected to be completed in three years' time.There are now 25 persons working for the Thai Red Cross only four of which are full time officers, the rest are people who volunteer with the organisation on Phuket.The new facility, will have a big new store room, for holding supplies for any future emergencies that might happen in and around Phuket, such as the tsunami of 2004. There will also be a communication center ready to house the red cross workers from around the world and the rest of the country, so that the organisation may monitor and control the workers on the ground better than has been possible in the past. The new building will also boast a conference center, and a one-stop service, for blood transfusions, so that different samples of blood groups can readily identified and stored. Current Thai Red Cross projects on the island include supporting the aging Thai population on Phuket and an organ transplant program where donors can register their wishes, should they die, for their vital organs to be used to save others lives. They also have an ongoing program to take blood donations from the population, and if needed the tourists, and resident foreigners, for times of emergencies.From December 9 this year until January 7 2008, the Thai Red Cross will launch a dedicated project to raise money for the completion of their new facility.A fund-raiser party and other attractions similar to the fairs held on Saphan Hin and and Wat Chalong Restaurants pay for the space to provide food for the visitors, there will also be a lucky ticket draw with prizes. All the monies raised will be used to fund the new building's completion. Representatives of the Thai Red Cross told the Phuket Post they were hopeful that the new center would be completed by 2010.
