More than 2,000 wheelchairs were given away to local residents in Thailand’s southern provinces. On June 24, the Living Waters Foundation, together with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, donated 2,201 wheelchairs to the Thai Red Cross Society at the Phuket Red Cross office.
Phuket Governor, Narong Woonsew, along with Vice President of Phuket Red Cross, Siriwan Panapong and Shaun Stenning, chaired the donation ceremony. There were 1,015 standard wheelchairs and 1,186 adjustable wheelchairs given away to Red Cross offices in 11 southern Thai provinces, including Krabi, Chumphon, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Phang Nga, Ranong, Surat Thani and Phuket.
Each Red Cross office will help distribute the wheelchairs to underprivileged disabled people and elders in their provinces.
The standard wheelchairs have already arrived in Phuket and have been given away to different sectors in the community. Phuket Red Cross gave away 152 wheelchairs to recipients, including 18 individuals in Phuket, 24 Phuket’s Sub District Community Health Centres (48 wheelchairs), and other 20 wheelchairs to the Office of Social Development and Human Security, Phuket branch.
On the date of the donation, the Red Cross also gave away 252 wheelchairs to 9 local administration organisations in Phuket (local governments). The other 543 wheelchairs will be spread among other provinces.
The 1,186 adjustable wheelchairs will arrive in Phuket about mid-July 2022 and they will be given to different sectors, including 702 wheelchairs to the Phuket Provincial Public Health Office and another 111 wheelchairs to local administration organisations.
The balance will be given to the Red Cross Society and the other southern provinces.
