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Pai receives funds from Japan for remote medical services
Mrs, Junko Sakata, Consul General of Japan
presents medical equipment to Pai Hospital. She is joined by Mr. Niwet
Phunsawat, District Chief Officer of Pai District, Mr. Sombat Yasin, Member
of Parliament for Mae Hong Son Province, and Dr. Sarawoot Supanpituk,
Director of Pai Hospital.
The Government of Japan, under its Grant Assistance for
Grassroots Human Security Projects Scheme (GGP), has provided 3,070,000 baht
for a project to improve medical services for residents in remote areas of
Pai District in Mae Hong Son Province. On February 16, 2010, Mrs. Junko
Yokota, Consul-General of Japan in Chiang Mai, Mr. Niwet Phunsawat, District
Chief Officer of Pai District, Mr. Sombat Yasin, Member of Parliament for
Mae Hong Son Province, and Dr. Sarawoot Supanpituk, Director of Pai
Hospital, were present at the donation ceremony of vehicles and equipment at
Pai Hospital.
Universal healthcare coverage in Thailand has allowed
many people access to basic medical treatment more easily and free of
charge. However, regional disparities in terms of opportunities for medical
treatment still remain. In Pai district in Mae Hong Son Province, which
shares a border with Myanmar and 80% of which comprises mountainous areas,
residents living in remote areas, hill tribes, and foreign laborers from
Myanmar have difficulty in gaining access to hospitals and in receiving
appropriate medical treatment.
Considering such conditions, Pai Hospital, which is the
only government hospital in the District, has expanded its ambulance
services transporting patients between villages and the hospital and
referring patients to Amphur Muang Mae Hon Song or Chiang Mai if more
advanced treatment is required. Moreover, the hospital has provided people
in remote areas with a mobile clinic service including medical check and
basic treatment as well as the distribution of winter clothing. However,
more vehicles and equipment are required to improve the efficiency of such
service.
In response to a request from Pai Hospital, the Government
of Japan has provided funds for an ambulance, a 4WD pick-up truck for the
mobile clinic service, and a defibrillator. It is expected that the
ambulance and mobile clinic service will improve and appropriate medical
treatment and health care services will reach people living in remote
mountainous areas. For more information about GGP, please contact Mr. Sato,
Consul, or Mr. Tsuda, Ms. Hoshii, Coordinator for GGP. 053-203-367.
IBM opens first branch office in Chiang Mai
Michael K Morrow, 2nd left, U.S. Consul
General in Chiang Mai, U.S. Ambassador Eric John, 3rd from left, Deputy
Governor Pairote Saengphuwong, 4th from left,
and Thanwa Laohasiriwong, 5th from left, Managing Director of IBM Thailand
at the opening of the new IBM office in Chiang Mai.
Jedsadapong Wongkiew
IBM Technology opened its first full service branch
office in the North on February 17 as a response to the Thai government’s
drive to make Chiang Mai the center of the creative economy in the North.
U.S. Ambassador Eric G. John and U.S. Consul General
Michael K. Morrow joined Deputy Governor Pairote Saengphuwong and IBM
Managing Director Thanwa Laohasiriwong in opening the new office. The new
office is part of the company’s strategy to expand IBM’s business into the
Northern provinces.
Mr. Thanwa added that, “local market demand in the North,
and other joint ventures, networks, partners and other businesses based in
Chiang Mail, all contribute to the economic growth that make Chiang Mai the
economic hub of the northern region.”
The new office, under the “IT Clinic” concept, is located
in the Plus Office Building, in Tambon Suthep, Muang District, Chiang Mai,
near important business centers and the Chiang Mai International Airport.
Battling Stigma and Discrimination through Legal Rights Education
A pioneering workshop on legal, sexual and human rights
education for Chiang Mai’s MSM, transgender and male sex worker
(MSW) community was successfully held on 4-5 and 10-11 February
in Chiang Mai, Thailand. The workshop was a result of
collaboration between Mplus (a Thailand based organisation
addressing the sexual health needs of the MSM community in
Chiang Mai) Bridges across Borders Southeast Asia BABSEA (an
international grass roots human rights NGO) and The Open
University. The project was funded by the Foundation for AIDS
Research (amFAR) and it also brought together participants from
other front-line organisations in the fight against HIV/AIDS and
discrimination against MSM, including Violet Home and Rainbow
Sky.
The unique international collaboration was formed to
address the fact that new HIV/AIDS infections among men who have sex with
men (MSM) have been increasing significantly in Chiang Mai. Additionally,
Chiang Mai’s diverse MSM community faces increased vulnerability due to
stigma, violence and discrimination as a result of the 2nd Annual Gay Pride
Parade being cancelled last year. Taken together, these factors could
enhance the risk of HIV infection.
BABSEA presented an interactive workshop on a large
number of topics ranging from HIV/AIDS and the law and access to health care
to sexual violence, discrimination, sexual rights, criminal law and
procedure and housing rights.
The workshop initiated the development of a training
manual to provide Mplus+ outreach and prevention workers and volunteers with
information about human, legal and sexual rights under Thai law. The idea is
that this manual will be used to train new peer education outreach workers.
The manual has the potential to be used aims to by other organisations
working directly with MSM, transgender and male sex workers and will provide
information on how to access free legal counselling services and resources
at the Chiang Mai University Legal Clinic.
MPlus+ views the production of the manual as strategic to
reducing the stigma and discrimination associated with MSM and HIV/AIDS. It
is anticipated that educating people about their rights will lead to
improved access to health care and improved sexual health in their
communities.
Dr Christopher Walsh, a Senior Lecturer at The Open
University, believes that initiatives such as these workshops are crucial
for Chiang Mai’s MSM, transgender and male sex worker communities because
it, “overcomes barriers that deny them access to resources and participation
on social, economic, political and cultural relations”.
The organisers anticipate that this will be the first of
many initiatives for improving access to education and healthcare in Chiang
Mai’s MSM, transgender and male sex worker community through education about
human, legal and sexual rights.
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