From BKK Post July 14,, 1998


We care : Many happy returns

WE CARE: A group of Thai-born doctors and nurses who are
now US citizens return to Thailand once a year to give
free medical care to the rural poor


Although they were still weary from jet lag, the group of doctors and
nurses left the hotel early and headed to Chumphon General Hospital.

There waiting for them - and the free top-class treatment they were
offering - where hundreds of patients who were queueing patiently.

We are waiting for mor farang"said Charoenchit Kow, 66, who had
travelled for two hours in the hope of getting an eye operation.

Due to a shortage of equipment and medical staff at the hospital, Mrs
Chareonchit, who had cataracts on her eyes, had been waiting for more
than six months for the operation.

Had it not been for help from mor farang (the foreign doctors), I don't
know how much longer I would have to wait, she said. I'm so happy
because when I can see properly I can go back to work and support my
grandchildren. And also because I know I am in good hands.

The mor farang she mentions are not of the blond-haired, blue-eyed
variety. They are Thai-born doctors and nurses who now live work in the
United States.

To give something back to their homeland, they fly to Thailand once a
year on a mission to provide free medical treatment to the rural poor.

Their destination this year was Chumphon in southern Thailand and they
worked there between July 6-10.

As well as bringing their expertise the doctors and nurses also brought
medicines and medical equipment from the the US.

The mission delegates, mostly in their 50's, are members of the Thai
Physicians Association of America (TPA) and they came from all over the
US.

As a doctor working with many patients in America, I feel the urge to
do something for people in my motherland too, said Dr Sanun
Sangsumran, chairman of Thai Physicians Association of America (TPA).

The doctors in this mobile general hospital includes opthamologists,
anesthesiologists, plastic surgeons, orthopedic surgeon, obstetricians and
gynaecologists, allergy experts, surgeons, internal medicine physicians,
ear, nose and throat specialists, doctors specialising in rehabilitation and
physiotherapy, and dermatologists. They are all volunteers.

We all feel we owe it to Thai people and the country. That we now
have a stable career, a good income and a good quality of life is
because we grew-up and were educated in Thailand, said Dr Somboon
Sriaroon, 55, chairman of Medical Mission Committee, Midwest Lions
Clubs in Chicago.

This mission is a little way of paying off our debts of gratitude, though
it's still only a very small gesture.

The volunteers were working on their official leave and the trip to
Thailand was not much of a holiday. They worked with the Chumphon
patients from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m. every day.

Such a tight schedule left them little time to visit relatives or enjoy the
beaches and countryside.

"Many of us only meet our relatives on the day we arrive as we want to
maximise our time with the patients. We normally work up to the last
minute. That leaves us little time to enjoy ourselves said Dr Sanun, 56,
who now lives in Missouri.

Wanting to give their best and also influenced by the medical culture in
the US, the doctors spent much time asking their patients about their
symptoms and explaining the causes of the illnesses as well as talking
about how they can take better care of their health.

In Thailand, many doctors spend a very short period of time with their
patients. But it's necessary for the patients to understand how to take
care of themselves.

They also have the right to ask and know all about their disease and
treatment, said nurse Tipawan Sinthuvarawan.

Apart from offering their medical expertise for free, all the doctors and
nurses pay their own way: travel fare, accommodation costs and food.

This time they also brought more than 50 boxes of medicine and other
supplies, essential for treatment.

We realise fully the economic situation in Thailand and we don't want to
add the burden to it, said Dr Somboon.

All of the supplies are donations from hospitals in America,
pharmaceutical companies, and from doctors and nurses themselves.

Little by little we nurses have been collecting medical supplies that the
US hospitals no longer use but are still usable, said Ms Tipawan, who
works as a nurse in Chicago.

In America, when the hospital changes equipment, for example, from
brand A to B, they will dump all the previous brands even though it is
still usable.

Such medical equipment included for example, an ultrasound machine,
artificial eye lenses, disposable gloves, and operation tools.

The doctors brought many medicine samples sent to them from
pharmaceutical firms.

Since the mission included the Sightfirst programme, an initiative of
Lions Clubs International, the Clubs helped fund some of the 100
artificial lenses needed in cataract operations. Each lense costs $125
(5,250) and afterwards patients require eye drops which cost $64 (2,700
baht) for a small bottle.

After the mission ended, all the unused medicine and medical supplies were donated to Chumphon General Hospital.

Apart from offering a mobile servicefor rural Thai hospitals, members of
the TPA also regularly hold seminars in Thailand to share the latest
medical advances with doctors in Thailand. This year, the seminar was
held at Prince Songkhla University, in Had Yai.

Members who cannot join the mobile hospital mission often do their bit
by giving donations. This year, the association collected about 100,000
baht to give away as education grants and equipment for schools in
Chumphon.

Dr Somboon said Kajit Habanananda, president of the Lion's Club
International was crucial in making the mission to Chumphon possible.

While the Medical Mission Committee in the US collects medical
supplies and recruits volunteers, it is the Lions Clubs Thailand which are
responsible for seeking the site of the mission.

The Chumphon trip is association's third free medical mission. The first,
in 1996, went to a Roi Et hospital, with a mission to Sa Kaew the
following year. More than 2,000 patients visited each of the hospitals for
treatment.

Each time more and more doctors and nurses expressed a wish to get
involved, said Dr Sanun. Given the success of the last three years, the
Medical Mission Committee is committed to sending an annual mission
to Thailand.

The association has also recruited young members to ensure the project
is sustainable.

Born and bred in the US, Dr Hope (Ratchawan) Yongsmith, 25, is
following in the footsteps of her mother Dr Nilawan Yongsmith, a doctor
specialising in physical rehabilitation and a committed volunteer in the
team.

One day after finishing her training at the medical institute at Boston
University, the young opthamologist flew to Thailand.

It's sad to see there aren't enough doctors to care for the huge amount
of patients, plus there is a shortage of advanced technology,said Dr
Hope. Some cases should have come into a doctor's hands five years
ago, but they had not had the chance.I'd love to come back again to help,; the young doctor said.

For American-Thai Dr Charles Pisatesuralit, 32, from Pittsburgh,
Pennsylvania, the mission also gives him an opportunity to get to know
the way of life of his ancestors.

It's very challenging for me. The atmosphere is quite difficult to work in
and there's so much to learn. I'd love to come back again.

By the time their Chumphon mission ended last Friday, nearly 100
patients, including Mrs Charoenchit, could see more clearly after having
had eye operations, and more than 3,000 other patients, with a wide
variety of illnesses, had received treatment.

The Chumphon Hospital was also better stocked with more medical
equipment and medicines.

For the mission volunteers, it was back to the US - to start collecting
medical equipment and medicines for next year's trip.

We're fortunate to have a life of security," said Dr Sanun. It is our duty
to give something back to the less fortunate in our motherland.
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