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The International Journal of the Royal Society of Thailand

Volume XVI-2024 (Special Issue)

social works that runs closely with the medical services and public health by the government.

(Rajaprajanugroh Foundation, 2019)

Royal initiative projects in medicine and public health by King Rama IX

Wherever Kin Rama IX and the queen visited people, we always saw a team of doctors,

nurses, dentists, pharmacists, and public health services accompanying them to help providing
medical services and related health problems. The following are those royal initiative projects

in brief. (Thepakam, 1988)
- The mobile royal physician project established in 1967 had been providing free medical

services to people in the remote areas wherever the royal visit took place. The royal physician
might transfer the sick to local hospital under the royal support.

- Royal physician unit has accompanied the royal visit in the rural areas since 1969
when King Rama IX found out that a number of hill tribe people, who came to greet him, were ill.

- Royal initiative dental unit project, established in 1969, has been providing volunteer
dentists to dental services and education on the hygiene of the oral cavity and teeth for students

and people in the rural areas. These volunteer dentists mostly work in the local hospitals at
the royal visit sites.

- Special medical team under the royal initiative. In 1974, King Rama IX asked the ministry
of public health to arrange a special medical team to provide medical service for the people

of the southern developing self-reliant village, which is located in Waeng District, Narathiwat,
as there was only one sanitarium (health station) in this area. Narathiwat Hospital and Sungai

Kolok Hospital took turns in sending a medical team in every 2 weeks.
- Volunteer surgeons project by the royal college of surgeons of Thailand established

in 1977 under the name “Emergency volunteer surgeon by the college of surgeons of Thailand”
to help people in the remote areas throughout the country, especially accompanying the royal

visits. After running this project for 5 years, King Rama IX gave the name of the royal college of
surgeons of Thailand under the royal patronage. This project is still active at present.

- The royal initiative ENT doctors and allergy disease project established in 1979 and it has
involved ENT doctors from Phramongkutklao Hospital, Ramathibodi Hospital, Rajvithi Hospital,

Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital, and Nakhon Phanom Hospital. These doctors take turn every
2 weeks, starting at Narathiwat province, then Sakon Nakhon province, and Fort Kawila hospital

in Chiang Mai.

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