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About 10,000 people have taken sick leave due to workrelated diseases this year
"This is a big problem. We hope to reduce the number by half," he said. Chatri spoke at an aca¬demic seminar, held to cele¬brate the 25th anniversary of Nopparat Rajathanee Hospital in Bangkok.
HM King Bhumibol Adulyadej renamed this state hospital as Nopparat Rajathanee in 1992.
According to Chatri, muscular and bone diseases, chemicalrelated diseases and lung diseases were the most common illnesses that forced people to take sick leave.
Chatri said the Nopparat Rajathanee Hospital was now assigned to take the role of the Occupational and Environmental Medicine Centre in promoting good health among the workforce.
The hospital is situated near industrial zones and plenty of workplaces.
Dr Adul Bandhukul, who heads Nopparat Rajathanee Hospital
's Occupational and Environmental Medicine Centre, said current labour laws identified only 32 diseases as workrelated illnesses, despite the fact that many more diseases resulted from work."Heart diseases and asthma are also workrelated," he said.
Adul said his centre was now identifying threats and dangers in workplaces, and would try to eliminate or at least reduce the risks for workers.
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