Minister Advances 7-Rai Land Transfer for Udon Thani Heart Transplant Center
Agriculture Minister Watthraphol Khaokham is advancing a 7-rai land transfer to Udon Thani Hospital for a new heart disease and organ transplant center. The project is one of four strategic mega-projects aimed at transforming Udon Thani into an economic hub for upper Northeastern Thailand, integrating healthcare, education, logistics, and agricultural innovation to boost regional connectivity with Laos and China.
Agriculture and Cooperatives Minister Watthraphol Khaokham, Udon Thani MP for the Pheu Thai Party, disclosed after a meeting with the director of the Udon Thani Freshwater Aquaculture Research and Development Center, the provincial fisheries office, and the Udon Thani Hospital director and executives that the provincial fisheries office will request the return of the 7-rai plot to the Treasury Department per bureaucratic procedure. Udon Thani Hospital will then apply to the Treasury Department for use of the land to construct a premium specialized center for heart disease and organ transplants, complete with modern patient recovery rooms. This marks a significant collaboration between the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives and the Ministry of Public Health to elevate quality of life and healthcare for Udon Thani residents and neighboring provinces, enabling faster access to complex and critical treatments.
Watthraphol also revealed that at a recent Cabinet meeting he pushed four main strategic projects to drive area-based development in the Upper Northeastern Provincial Cluster 1 (Sabaidee Group), aiming to boost social and economic quality of life and make Udon Thani a true tourism hub and distribution and export center via the Thailand-Laos-China railway route.
The four strategic projects are: 1. Development of a premium specialized center for heart disease and organ transplants at Udon Thani Hospital. 2. Construction of the Udon Thani Provincial Medical Center and establishment of the Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Medical Institute, Udon Thani Campus. 3. Installation of a fixed X-ray cargo inspection system at the Inland Container Depot (ICD/UD Yard) in the industrial estate. 4. Establishment of the Future Food Innovation Lab and standard food analysis laboratory for the Upper Northeastern Provincial Cluster 1 (Sabaidee Future Food Innovation Lab: FFIL).
Watthraphol affirmed that integrating these four projects is a crucial step linking medical, educational, agricultural innovation, logistics, and tourism dimensions to strengthen the economy and sustainably develop Udon Thani as a trade center connecting Thailand, Laos, and China in the upper Northeast.
