The Chakri Naruebodindra Medical Institute was initiated from King Bhumibol's royal address regarding the construction of a medical facility for both treatment and education in the Samut Prakan Area. This is to increase the number of healthcare services provided for local residents, as most citizens in the area work in the secondary sector in factories and industrial plants. It would also provide medical services for provinces in the eastern region of Thailand including: Chonburi Province, Rayong Province, Chanthaburi Province, Trat Province, Chachoengsao Province, Prachinburi Province and Sa Kaeo Province. Furthermore, the majority of hospitals located in Samut Prakan are of the private sector, unaffordable to those with lower income. It was built in commemoration of King Bhumibol Adulyadej's 7th cycle birthday anniversary on 5 December 2011 to increase the outreach of medical services in Samut Prakan Province and neighbouring provinces as well as increasing opportunities for the medical treatment in the locality. The Chakri Naruebodindra Medical Institute opened on 25 December 2017 by Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn. In 2020, it was used as an isolation facility for patients infected by COVID-19 admitted by the Faculty of Medicine during the COVID-19 pandemic. Patients were transferred here for medical care from the main Ramathibodi Hospital site in central Bangkok. The whole institute is set to be completed in its entirety by 2021 and medical education initiated by the same academic year.
Initial project details
The initial project details of the Chakri Naruebodindra Medical Institute was outlined in 2011 under the "Ramathibodi towards Leading Medical School in Asia " project and is described as follows:
The Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital has provided medical support, education and research for more than 40 years, and has a potential to develop and succeed its challenging mission. The numbers of patients and students have dramatically increased, but there are still many restrictions such as limited space, learning-teaching resource shortage, dormitory and space for various activities deficiency. Most importantly, there is no space for primary and secondary care practising and teaching
With the supports of the Royal Office of His Majesty's Principal Private Secretary in Samut Prakan Province, the Faculty of Medicine has received an opportunity to build an additional medical campus in Samut Prakan province. In Samut Prakan province and Eastern Thailand, there are many metropolitan and industrial areas, with people who are living densely-populated zones and have environmental and occupational health problems. However, there is no excellent medical center in the area, only primary care units and medium-sized hospitals which may not be able to adequately serve them. Thus the Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital has offered a campaign to found a hospital in this area, which is still associated with the main Ramathibodi Hospital for higher patient care quality.
# To the Faculty of Medicine. There are adequate facilities for teaching medical students, nursing students, graduate students, communication disorder science students, and other related field students. Thus the faculty can produce more students to meet the needs of the country. With the addition of this new campus to the original become-complicated-tertiary-care-only campus, the Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital will become a very comprehensive medical school producing doctors and nurses with sufficient knowledge on primary care, while providing postgraduate training at the forefront of medicine.
# To host a 400-bed hospital with very high health care and public health standards. It will provide medical care for patients at all levels from primary, secondary, and tertiary, including health promotion, rehabilitation, and preventive medicine, occupational health rehabilitation for older patients, and end-stage patients. Moreover, the education and research in family medicine will be emphasised.
# To be a model for a patient-centered treatment focused on network settings. The faculty will promote and teach about the collaboration among hospitals, public health districts, as well as private hospitals in serving patients. Knowledge transferring to enhance the health of people in the eastern region will be accentuated. This will be a model for maintaining the complete health care for Thai people.
# To be the center of medical education, continuing medical education, and medical consultation for general public. It will also be a learning, living, and park community complex model.
Total project duration will last 5 years.
Infrastructure
Ramathibodi Chakri Naruebodindra Hospital : hospital with a capacity of 400 beds
