Bangkok--28 Apr--Samitivej PCL
Samitivej International Children’s Hospital Creates a New Horizon in Child Care and Expands its Services to Encompass the Asia-Pacific Region
Samitivej International Children’s Hospital has combined the strength of children’s health care from Sukhumvit and Srinakarin hospitals and has developed a Center of Excellence. Samitivej International Children’s Hospital has supported the national policy and direction of Thailand to become the medical hub of the Asia-Pacific Region. We are proud to generate revenue for the Thai economy, promote medical research and the development of Thai doctors through cooperation with overseas organizations, as well as promoting our social responsibility through the “New Life Fund”.
Samitivej Hospital has signed an agreement with Doernbecher Children’s Hospital, a leading U.S. Children’s Hospital, to provide a more complete range of international-quality services. “Doernbecher Children’s Hospital” was awarded the highest rating for quality and safety in children’s health care in 2014 from the University Health System Consortium of hospitals for pediatric quality. To capitalize on this strength, Samitivej is working with Doernbecher to develop a management plan for Samitivej International Children’s Hospital so as to be able to achieve and deliver a more complete range of services at international standards. Doernbecher’s management team has visited all units at Samitivej Hospital, focusing on newborns, critical pediatric patients, operations and bone marrow transplants. The objectives of these visits were to enhance service potential, establish plans, share information and develop activities demonstrating corporate social responsibility.
Under the new concept of ‘Hospital in Hospital’, Samitivej International Children’s Hospital has a team of 150 doctors — the highest number of doctors of any hospital in Thailand. Our doctors comprise expert pediatricians in all fields, providing primary, secondary and tertiary care, specialized surgeries, and also emergency care.
In speaking with Chairat Panthuraamporn, M.D., Managing Director and CEO of Samitivej Public Co., Ltd., he stated that “Samitivej has been renowned for its expertise in child care for more than 36 years and Samitivej International Children’s Hospital has been established for 12 years. During this time, Samitivej has been recognized both domestically and internationally. Compared to last year, Samitivej grew by 23% and the number of Thai patients rose by 15%. There has also been an increase in international patients from Japan, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Arabic countries and Myanmar. Samitivej is currently the No. 1 hospital of choice for Japanese patients.
Dr. Panthuraamporn also spoke of the fact that Samitivej International Children’s Hospital is the first private children’s hospital that currently provides infant and pediatric aeromedical transportation service and has since 2007. We have handled over 150 cases and have expanded our services to neighboring countries and cities in the Asia-Pacific Region, including Beijing and Shanghai. We have also provided medical evacuation services to repatriate patients to countries such as the United States and Australia.
Surangkana Techapaitoon, M.D., is Director of Samitivej International Children’s Hospital and said that Samitivej International Children’s Hospital is fully equipped with advanced medical equipment for children’s health care. Advances include a Newborn Intensive Care Unit (NICU) for newborns aged up to one month old and Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) for infants who are one month or older. We provide pediatric brain surgery, urinary tract and heart surgery, as well as a unit for treating rare diseases in children. Our Rehabilitation Center also has a team of specialists in various fields. Samitivej is the first private hospital that has opened a Special Needs Child and Teen Center with the goal of helping children integrate into society. We have achieved international standards accredited by the JCI from the United States and are the first hospital of its kind outside of the United States to receive this Distinction for our Clinical Care Program Certification (CCPC) – for Childhood Asthma Care.
Professor Emeritus Chanika Tuchinda, M.D., the Executive Advisor to Samitivej International Children’s Hospital, talked about its corporate social responsibility. The “Samitivej New Life Fund” was established to provide free surgery to children with congenital heart disease and since 2010, a total of 102 children have received free surgeries. This year, the second project to be launched is the “New Life Fund for Bone Marrow Transplants”, the goal of which is to cure genetic diseases in children, including diseases such as thalassemia and cancer. We offer the latest medical equipment and provide an experienced team of specialists.
In 2015, the Samitivej New Life Fund has a goal to provide bone marrow transplants for five children in celebration of the 60 birthday anniversary of HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. Furthermore, Samitivej is currently planning scoliosis surgeries (a back condition that causes the spine to curve to the left or right side) which is a condition that is present at birth or can develop during a child’s teenage years. “This Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) project is to help both Thai and foreign underprivileged children,” said Professor Emeritus Chanika. “The New Life Fund” was founded and inspired by the doctor who set up the initial team of pediatricians at Samitivej Hospital. We are proud to help as many underprivileged children as possible, as a result of this ground-breaking program.
As Samitivej International Children’s Hospital is a leading children’s hospital, it is always important to promote the development of medical professionals, doctors and nurses. Samitivej regularly organizes academic seminars for doctors, nurses and medical professionals in Thailand. We have invited experienced specialists from both within and outside of Thailand to share their knowledge and information about current trends or innovations in children’s health care at “The International Golden Day in Pediatrics”. We also offer staff language courses and the opportunity to travel outside of Thailand to treat both Thai and overseas patients. In addition to these treatments, Samitivej Hospital’s child life specialists care for the emotional needs of children and help make sure their experience at the hospital is a positive one.