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The International Journal of the Royal Society of Thailand

Volume XVI-2024 (Special Issue)

and the profits from the Love and Warmth at Winter’end festival to purchase medical tools

and equipments for 27 medical centers, including university hospitals, regional and provincial
hospitals. This was due to the king’s concern for the good health of the people and the efficiency

of medical services. (Navy Army section 2, 2023)
In fact, King Rama X has had several activities and projects since he was Crown Prince,

as follows.

Crown Prince Hospitals

In 1976, Thailand still faced threats from communist terrorists who caused unrests and

animosity between government and the people. Toward the end of that year, announcement
was made regarding the Crown Prince’s engagement ceremony on 17 December 1976 and

subsequent royal wedding on 3 January 1977. The government then used this opportunity
to put out a project of collaboration with its citizens presenting gifts to the Crown Prince for

the special occasions that will bring in mutual understanding between the government and
the people as well as unity among the Thai people themselves. At that time, hospitals were

urgently needed in the remote areas, not only for ordinary citizens but also for the soldiers,
policemen, and volunteers who were fighting communist terrorists. The government then

brought the idea of new hospitals as a Royal wedding gift to King Rama IX for his advice. He then
named them “Crown Prince Hospitals.”

The government was able to collect a large sum of donation, approximately
155 million Bahts, from people throughout the country as well as 81 pieces of land and

considerable amount of construction materials–totally valued 195 million Bahts–sufficient to
build 21 hospitals with 30 beds capacity. The Crown Prince Hospital has been the prototype

of community hospital. Thereafter, the Crown Prince Hospital foundation, established in 1977,
has been supporting the work of all Crown Prince Hospitals. King Rama X has been the

honorable president of this foundation since the establishment when he was a crown prince.
In 1993, he granted the establishment of the Crown Prince Hospital foundation branch to

facilitate the management of each hospital and allow local people to collaborate and support
the improvement of the crown prince hospital. The foundations, both central and branches,

work closely with the Ministry of Public Health to offer regular visits to support the management
of the crown prince hospital, to identify any point for improvement, to help solve problems,

and to support personnels.
King Rama X, the honorable president of the foundation, inspired hospital personnels

to do their best for the crown prince hospital as follows: “Everyone who works for the crown

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