Health, Hospitals, and Thai Hospitality

Today we went to visit two hospitals here in the Chiang Mai province. The first one we went to was a hospital at the tambon or sub district level. The Mae Sa Luang Health Promotion Hospital serves the 7200 people in its community. Tana, the director of the hospital, welcomed us with a performance from the School of Elders, a group of the local elderly people. The School of Elders is one of the groups that use the facilities in the hospital to promote health by doing activities such as dancing and playing musical instruments. For the elderly, it is critical that they stay moving or else the "chair and bed become [their] executioner." The hospital is two stories that has doctors come in one or two times a week to check up on the patients. There is always a shortage of money, tools, and people but the staff is still able to manage and treat everyone who needs treatment. After a short tour of the health promoting hospital we listened to a presentation about the facility. The hospital and community has specific goals and targets for each age group in the community. Young people are warned to stay away from alcohol and cigarettes while the elderly and taught to have a healthy diet and to exercise often. It was obvious that the people in the community had a strong commitment to their own health and the health of those around them.

We took a short bus ride to a primary health care center in a village not far from the Mae Sa Luang Health Promotion Hospital. We were introduced to the head of the primary health care center and saw some of the 18 health care volunteers that worked in that village. They showed us around their center highlighting the areas for first aid and screening. They demonstrated the exercise and therapy they have daily for their patients which include meditation, stretching, and dancing. After we participated in breathing exercises, they explained that that the purpose for the exercises is to increase mobility and strength and decrease hypertension and other health problems. After this visit, we rode back to the Promotion Hospital to listen to a lecture about the health care, protocols, and diseases the hospital encounters. They elaborated on the preventative actions they have enforced to help increase the community's health and well being especially in regards to dengue fever. They have a dengue prevention and control plan that emphasizes health education and a big cleaning day during the pre pathogenesis period. There were also many specific support groups that allow the community to help one another in regards to alcohol consumption and drug use.

After lunch, we drove to the general hospital in Chiang Mai about 20 minutes away from the Promotion Hospital. We were given a short tour of the facility and then met with Dr. Kittipham Chalom, a local epidemiologist. He gave us the background of the top ten diseases in Thailand and told us the action the country takes to diminish these outbreaks. They broke up the communicable diseases found in Thailand into different units so each section can have specific attention by different doctors like vector borne diseases, respiratory diseases, food borne diseases, etc. After laying the foundation of the disease problems in Thailand, Dr. Chalom went into detail about each disease including rabies, tuberculosis, malaria, and HIV. He stated its prominence and how Chiang Mai's number of cases compares to other districts in the country. Our afternoon ended when we returned to our hotel, EcoResort to rest before our evening discussion with Professor Muehlenbein and dinner.

Hey y'all, it's Ireland!!

Ever since we landed in Chiang Mai, I've enjoyed every minute of it. The food, the culture, and the people are just incredible. Today, we visited a promotional hospital and I must say I couldn't wipe the smile off my face. The people were so friendly and welcomed us like family with dance, food, and song. I loved this aspect of the facility because the people seemed to thoroughly enjoy their jobs and the people they are surrounded by. We then boarded a bus to visit the public health center in a nearby village where we participated in more dance and exercise (which was my favorite-I mean who doesn't like dancing?) It was amazing to see how many locals from the village volunteered their time to work at the health center. Thus far, I love Thailand and everything it has to offer. The pad thai, mangosteens, Thai tea are just a few of my favorites. I can't wait for our upcoming events with the elephants and temple visits!





Hello, it's Juli

I have loved these past few days here in Thailand! The food is amazing, the people are amazing, and what I have learned and experienced is amazing. Today was interesting in that I got to see two different kinds/levels of hospitals here in Thailand. People here in Thailand care for each other as if they are all one family. They make sure everyone takes their medication and that help is given to those who need help. They donate to the community in order to get more resources. It was obvious that they have put in a lot of effort to increase the health of the people and the environment. Concern for the health of everyone and everything around them would ultimately increase the health of their own person. Because not only does your health affect you, it can also affect the health of everyone around you.