London, Mar. 18 (ANI): Thailand government will remove 90 percent of their bog-standard toilets by 2016 and replace them with sit-downs, the Public Health Ministry has announced.
The move comes because an alarming number of people from the country are suffering from squat-related arthritis.
Just over 85 percent of households and public facilities in Thailand use ankle-high Nile pans, which are now being blamed as a cause of osteoarthritis of the knee, the Mirror reported.
Deputy Minister, Cholanan Srikaew, revealed that six million natives – and some expats – have the condition. He also hoped that new facilities will improve tourism, which earns 7 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product.
A source said that prolonged periods of squatting have been found to cause arthritis and it is hoped that the new toilets will save a few more people from suffering from arthritis and boost tourism. (ANI)