Suan Dok seeks donations for long-term care centre

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Suan Dok seeks donations for long-term care centre
THE NATION


This model shows what the first comprehensive long-term care centre for dependant elderly people at Maharaj Nakhon Chiang Mai Hospital (Suan Dok) in Chiang Mai province will look like when construction is completed.

CHIANG MAI: -- WITH THAILAND heading towards becoming an aged society, the Maharaj Nakhon Chiang Mai Hospital (Suan Dok) is building the country's first comprehensive long-term care centre for dependant elderly people in Chiang Mai province.

However, the project, slated to be ready and in operation by 2017, is in need of donations.

The 12 million senior population in Thailand is expected to hit 20.5 million or account for 32.1 per cent of the total population by 2040. With such a large number of elderly people, many will be suffering from illnesses and requiring nursing care, hence state-owned medical facilities need to address the issue of developing a care system for bedridden old people, Dr Taninnit Leerapun said.

Taninnit is deputy dean for public relations at Chiang Mai University's Faculty of Medicine, Suan Dok Hospital.

Though the private sector has set up several such programmes, they can be rather expensive.

Associate Professor Watana Navacharoen, dean of Chiang Mai University's Faculty of Medicine, said the Suan Dok Hospital tended to more than 500,000 patients over the age of 55 last year. Of them, 479 were bedridden and suffering from illnesses such as cancer, stroke, and bone and joint diseases.

"The cost of hospital care for elderly patients is more than Bt1billion a year," he said.

Watana said realising the growing number of old people and the impact it is having on public health, economic and social policies as well as future strategies, the faculty and Suan Dok Hospital Foundation launched a project to raise funds to build a long-term care centre.

This facility, built on a 66-rai plot in Ban Tha Mai Ei in Muang district's Tambon Pa Daed, would tend to bedridden elderly people. It would also provide three months of training for caregivers on taking care of the elderly at home, conduct research on related matters as well as serve as a centre to pass on the knowledge to related agencies, he added.

"This centre will not seek profits, but will aim to earn enough so the project can stay afloat," Taninnit said, adding that the centre would hopefully help ease the expenses of families with elderly dependants.

Taninnit said the centre would charge reasonable fees, along the lines of public hospitals, with some additional service charges and extra for items that cannot be reimbursed from the state. He said the centre would still be cheaper than privately-run facilities. The centre would also reserve some beds to serve underprivileged patients, whose bills would be covered by the centre's profits and donations made to the Suan Dok Hospital Foundation.

The Bt120 million budget - Bt60 million to construct the four-storey 120-bed building and Bt60 million to cover the equipment and initial operational costs - would come from donations alone because the university does not have enough funds to cover it, he said.

The previous Suan Dok Roi Duangjai event has so far raised Bt60 million .

The upcoming Suan Dok Roi Duangjai event will be held on September 17 at 10.30pm via television Channel 9. Those interested in making donations can contact the foundation at (053) 938 400 or (053) 935 671-2.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/national/Suan-Dok-seeks-donations-for-long-term-care-centre-30268731.html


-- The Nation 2015-09-14

[ZuluSixNine]

"This centre will not seek profits, but will aim to earn enough so the project can stay afloat,"

I hope this isn't another project where billions of baht disappear to offshore accounts of Thailands rich and shameless and the people that it was designed for, get left out in the cold again!

[whatproblem]

I think more people would be willing to give if people caught in corruption ended up serving long jail sentences and there assets confiscated,I would be ,but at present I only give to where I see it needed,hands on

[MESmith]

They should reserve a floor for foreigners. Big need for this coming up, & they will help subsidize the locals care costs.

[NancyL]

They should reserve a floor for foreigners. Big need for this coming up, & they will help subsidize the locals care costs.

I'm very glad to see Suan Dok building a model long-term care facility for Thai people. You only have to look at the demographics of the Thai population and lack of social programs for retirement to realize there is going to become an increasing need for Thailand in the decade ahead.

Incidentally, there already is something like this for foreigners and Thai people alike, at a very affordable price and in the same neighborhood where Suan Dok is talking about building this new facility:

http://www.mckean.or.th/en/home/

[amykat]

Wow, I think the budget for this is really low ...seems to me some sidewalks, I recently read about, in Pattaya cost more??