Public Health

His Majesty the King also considers the work concerning public health important, as can be seen in the fact that the early Royal Development Projects stressed public health. His Majesty believes that good physical health will lead to good mental health which will render positive impacts on social and economic development of the country as stated in the following excerpt from His Majestys address.

"Good physical health is a factor supporting economic progress and social security of the country because it leads to good mental health. Physical and mental fitness enable the individual to effectively serve the nation while refraining from imposing burdens on the nation. That means we should support, not delay the development of the country"

During the royal visits to the rural areas, His Majesty the King commissioned the accompanying medical team to provide medical checkups for the villagers and found that a large number of population are deprived of adequate health care services. His Majesty then initiated the Royal Medical Team Project in 1967. Later the project has extended in its scope and can be divided according to its characteristics into two categories as follows:

1. Treatment from the Royal Medical Team which consists of

1.1 His Majestys private doctors and the medical team which accompany His Majesty during the royal visits.
1.2 The Royal Medical Unit and officials from the Royal Medical Division, Bureau of the Royal Household.
1.3 The Royal-sponsored Volunteer Medical Team which comprises volunteer doctors from various fields from the following agencies.
1.3.1 Volunteer Surgical Team from the Royal College of Surgeons of Thailand
1.3.2 Volunteer Surgical Team from King Mongkut Hospital
1.3.3 Volunteer Surgical Team from Siriraj Hospital
1.3.4 Team of ear, nose and throat and allergy specialists
1.3.5 Mobile Dental Unit from the Medical Department of the Royal Thai Army
1.3.6 Ophthalmic Medical Team

The medical team will be assigned their job in different locations as follows:

P at hospitals in the provinces where the palaces are situated such as Sakon Nakhon Hospital, Narathiwat Hospital and Kawilla Army Camp Hospital in Chiang Mai Province;
P in villages during the royal visits.

2. Training of Village Doctors According to His Majestys Initiatives
His Majesty the King initiated the project in which volunteer villagers are selected to receive training as กงvillage doctorsกจ starting in Chiang Mai Province in 1982. The objective is to equip the trainees with the medical knowledge for assisting the people in their locality. The training focuses on basic health care; for example, first aid, simple preventive medication, nutrition (especially for mothers and children), and techniques of making contacts with the governments medical officials from the local health centres or provincial hospitals. Trainers came from various agencies both in the civil and military sectors. The venues for the training are hospitals in the provinces where the palaces are located including Sakon Nakhon Hospital, Narathiwat Hospital and Kawilla Army Camp Hospital in Chiang Mai Province.
The Royal Medical Team Project which involves the treatment from the Royal Medical Team and the training for village doctors helps solve the health problem of the people in the remote areas where the regular services of the government hardly reach and the local people lack the knowledge important for keeping themselves healthy. The Royal Medical Team provides the people with the opportunity to be properly taken care of and treated free of charge. With the training of village doctors programme, the people are able to acquire the modern knowledge on prevention and cure of symptoms. Moreover, they learn how to contact and coordinate with the government agencies in the case of need for treatment beyond their capacity and knowledge. Both activities promote the long-term solution to the problem. The advantages of the Royal Medical Team project can be summarized below:

1. Health: The project can directly help cure many of hundreds of thousands of cases each year. Almost all of the patients receiving treatment from the mobile medical unit are poor rural people engaged in agriculture, which constitute the majority of the countrys population. They might be patients already admitted in the hospitals or the villagers coming for check-ups at the units which are accompanying the royal visits.

2. Economic: Sickness has an adverse impact on the people, most of whom are engaged in agriculture, which requires physical strength. Therefore, with physical fitness, the people can cope with tough work in the fields which, in turn, affects the overall economy of the country.

His Majestys benevolence concerning the medical services extended to the Thai people clearly shows that His Majesty never forsakes the people and is determined to lead them to a healthy state and well-being.

"would like you to look after the students and people who live in remote areas. I will take care of all the necessary expenses and will provide you with a mobile unit to go out to isolated villages and hamlets"