Jubilee medical hub expansion wins nod
Siriraj Hospital has announced the expansion of its Golden Jubilee Medical Centre in Phutthamonthon district of Nakhon Pathom province, to serve as a community centre for medical studies and research on non-communicable diseases.
The medical centre, which is affiliated with Mahidol University’s Faculty of Medicine, began operations on Oct 1 last year, serving patients from Nakhon Pathom, Ratchaburi, Kanchanaburi, Suphan Buri, Phetchaburi, Samut Sakhon, Samut Songkhram and Prachuap Khiri Khan.
Dr Prasit Watana, the faculty dean, said that medical students tend to miss out on the opportunity to train on “ordinary” patients commonly admitted at other community hospitals, because a significant number of patients referred to Siriraj Hospital suffer from complicated diseases.
Each day, Siriraj Hospital receives between 8,000 and 10,000 patients at its outpatients wards, but its inpatient wards are always crowded, which means some patients in critical condition will be admitted to the centre instead, he said.
The medical centre’s patient transfer system is also linked with five nearby hospitals, namely Nakhon Pathom Hospital, Sam Phran Hospital, Ratphiphat Hospital, Metta Pracharak and Phutthamonthon hospital, he said.
Under the expansion plan, the medical centre’s capacity will increased to 200 beds from 60 beds, and it will have a total of 16 operation rooms, up from eight rooms at present.
The medical centre’s operating hours will be extended once the expansion is under way, with some services expected to be available around the clock by December next year. By 2022, the centre is expected to be fully operational.
Dr Teera Kolladarungkri, director of the medical centre, said the medical centre has seen a 30% rise in the number of patients, while the average bed occupancy rate stands at 90%.
Occupancy rates at certain wards can be as high as 120%, an indication that the medical centre really needs to be expanded, he said.
The government will contribute a total of 500 million baht to fund the expansion, while another 350 million baht will be raised from the public, he said.