Thammasat University Hospital, a Public Hospital Renowned for its Rapid Development and Exceptional Efficiency in Thailand, is Undergoing a Crucial Transitional Phase.
Thammasat University Hospital, one of the rapidly evolving and most efficient public hospitals in Thailand, is currently at a critical juncture. The advent of a management team led by Assoc. Prof. Dilok Piyayotai, M.D., former dean of the Faculty of Medicine at Thammasat University, as the ‘Hospital Director’ has sparked this transition.
Thammasat University Hospital, which was first established at the secondary care level, has made significant advancements in less than 40 years. This hospital has risen to become a leading tertiary-level hospital in Thailand, offering high-quality services and capabilities comparable to international hospitals. It serves as a crucial support in addressing the country’s healthcare challenges.
Over the past decade and in the coming 4-5 years, public services have experienced significant growth and development in the infrastructure. This expansion includes the adoption of modern technologies and the construction of physical spaces covering over 100,000 square meters, providing essential support for efficient public service delivery. This has resulted in the construction of more than 5 new buildings, such as the Thammasat Medicine Center, the Thammasat Hospice Palliative Care, the 88th Anniversary Building, and the 90th Anniversary Building, which are buildings for both outpatient and inpatient services, as well as the Thammasat Innovation Hub.
Assoc. Prof. Dilok explained that the aforementioned development plan will be divided into four main parts, which are 1. Providing care and treatment services, 2. Supporting research and innovation activities, 3. Supporting the teaching and learning activities, and 4. Organizational development.
In detail, the first and the second parts will be interconnected because there will be an increasing use of medical technology. It will focus on rare and complex diseases, such as importing proton beam radiation therapy machines for cancer treatment worth more than 1,000 million baht, using da Vinci surgical robots, and utilizing Artificial Intelligence (AI) in medical applications, such as interpreting X-ray and CT-Scan results and organ transplantation.
The Medical Genomics Center was recently established at the beginning of last year to serve as an additional central hub for genomics in medicine. This development is a significant advancement. It may become a national-level unit that provides services ranging from accurate diagnosis, precise care planning (Precision Medicine), legal genetics services, to disease prediction, covering common genetic diseases (rare diseases), cancer, and pharmacogenomics.
For Part 3, the support for teaching and learning of each faculty within the Health Science Center group, which consists of the Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Nursing, Faculty of Public Health, Faculty of Dentistry, Faculty of Pharmacy, and Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, will include providing learning opportunities beyond the curriculum for students to learn about certain aspects of healthcare services that they may not have the opportunity to do or learn in the classroom, such as field hospitals, medical centers, hospital management, etc.
Finally, Part 4 is the development of the organization. It is certain that what is about to happen, including what has already happened from the upgrading of hospitals over the past several years, will have some impact on the workload of medical personnel. Therefore, there will be an increase in the care of personnel within the hospital in order to create a balance in the development of the hospital.
Indeed, Assoc. Prof. Dilok emphasizes that development and problem-solving stem from facts and empirical data, both statistically and through direct observation and connection with real-life situations. Hence, everything is achievable, although it may appear unattainable.
