Thammasat Allied Health Sciences in collaboration with Its Network, to Launch Mobile Medical Unit
The Faculty of Allied Health Sciences at Thammasat University, in collaboration with the Phraya-Pirom-Pakdee Foundation and Boon Rawd Brewery Co., Ltd., has organized the Singha Volunteer Mobile Medical Unit project. This initiative aims to assist and promote access to public health services for the Thai population, ensuring they can achieve good health.
Asst. Prof. Dr. Anek Phuthong, a faculty member of the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences at Thammasat University and the coordinator for Medical Technology, stated that previously, the Faculty of Allied Health Sciences was approached by the Singha Volunteer Mobile Medical Unit project to provide health services to the public in the Pathum Thani province. The faculty recognized that this project aligns with its vision, mission, and core competencies in the field of public health. Consequently, the Faculty accepted this collaboration and has been continuously engaged in it over the past several years.
The Faculty of Allied Health Sciences has been providing health services in the Bang Khu Wat District of Pathum Thani Province as part of the Singha Volunteer Mobile Medical Unit project. These services have included physical therapy, fall prevention for the elderly, fitness assessments, physical therapy evaluations and treatments, and home visits for bedridden patients.This year, the faculty has expanded its services to include medical technology, with a focus on screening for renal impairment and providing consultations to reduce the risk of chronic kidney disease. This is in response to the aging Thai society and the increasing number of patients suffering from Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), both of which are risk factors for chronic kidney disease. The faculty believes that screening and education can help mitigate the risk of chronic kidney conditions in these populations.
The majority of service recipients are elderly individuals at risk of falling and experiencing mobility issues. The team conducted physical assessments and provided guidance to bedridden patients and their relatives to prevent complications from prolonged bed rest. Kidney deterioration screening identified at-risk individuals, predominantly those with muscle aches and regular pain relief medication use, rather than the elderly and NCD patients as initially targeted. The faculty will use these results to adjust future activity plans.
“In the future, the faculty plans to deploy mobile units under the Singha Volunteer Mobile Medical Unit project in the Wang Noi District, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Province, which is expected to take place in late September this year. Furthermore, the faculty has plans to provide health services through activities aimed at enhancing students’ potential as health leaders, such as training programs in physical exercise, as well as through activities that are part of the curriculum in Community Medical Technology and Community Physiotherapy courses. The faculty will send fourth-year Medical Technology and Physiotherapy students to conduct field practice by surveying community health issues, focusing on health problems among the elderly, health promotion, and the prevention of NCDs and chronic kidney disease. Health promotion activities or health services will be organized to address these community health issues in the Klong Luang District area in November.” Assoc. Prof. Dr. Anek concluded.
