Bangkok: The Senate Budget Monitoring Committee is expediting the repair plan for the Cham Meng Sub-district Health Center, urging acceleration due to delays caused by overlapping land use permit procedures. They are committed to coordinating efforts to alleviate the suffering of local residents as much as possible.
According to Thai News Agency, the Senate Committee on Budget Monitoring, led by Senator Pinyapatch Sansaneechivin, Deputy Spokesperson of the Committee, announced the results of a committee meeting. This week, the committee followed up on the progress of the construction and renovation project for the Ban Cham Meng Sub-district Health Promotion Hospital in Sisaket Province. Significant delays were found, causing hardship to the villagers. The delays were attributed to bureaucratic procedures and multiple steps involved in obtaining permission to use the land.
Ms. Phinyapatch further stated that the main cause of the delay was the documentation and coordination processes between agencies, requiring multiple stages of execution. Clearing land and forest rights necessitates approval from the Provincial Governor and the Sub-committee of the Department of Forestry to authorize the use of the national forest reserve area. Once land use rights are granted, the Provincial Public Health Office must register the buildings and assets with the Treasury Department, awaiting official certification, which takes until early June. Only after resolving land matters can the Sisaket Provincial Administrative Organization apply to the Treasury Department for asset use. The final step is submitting a budget request through the Sisaket Provincial Disaster Prevention and Mitigation Office and the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation, forwarding the matter to the Prime Minister's Office for funding consideration from the Disaster Relief Fund.
Ms. Phinyapatch emphasized that the process of resolving issues at Ban Cham Meng Sub-district Health Center is complex and time-consuming. From the governor's approval to the final step, it takes approximately four months for the budget request to reach the central government for official approval of the assistance fund. However, the committee is coordinating efforts to alleviate the villagers' suffering as quickly as possible.