ID :
297497
Sat, 08/31/2013 - 13:14
Auther :

Thailand promotes rubber-made medical gloves production

BANGKOK, August 31 (TNA) - The Thai government, through the Ministry of Public Health, is encouraging local medical gloves manufacturers to produce more rubber latex-made gloves for medical purposes to serve both domestic and overseas markets. Public Health Minister Dr. Pradit Sintavanarong told reporters of the plan on Saturday (Aug 31), acknowledging that the initiative is part of the Thai government's attempts to assist local rubber growers who are suffering from a plunge of their produce's prices, caused by excess rubber supply on the domestic and global markets. Dr. Pradit said his ministry’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has been assigned to oversee that the local production of rubber gloves meet required international standards and are environmentally-friendly. According to the minister, the plan is expected to help boost exports of Thai rubber gloves to about 50 billion baht annually over the next five years, from 20 billion baht currently, while the use of rubber latex should also increase to about 500,000 tonnes yearly. Thai FDA Secretary-General Dr. Boonchai Somboonsook then told journalists that his agency has already revised its regulation, in which medical gloves are now permitted to be a "general medical equipment", but producers are still legally required to retain quality standard, noting that the more lenient rule enables about 30 producers nationwide to manufacture rubber gloves for sales quicker. Meanwhile, Thai Transport Minister Chadchart Sittipunt revealed he has also ordered that a feasibility study will be soon conducted to see whether natural rubber can be used to construct roads, along with asphalt, to boost domestic demand for rubber produce. (TNA)

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