His first posting was a small hospital more than 120 kilometres from Khon Kaen city. Three years later he was rotated to another hospital for a year before settling down as Nam Phong Hospital director.

For a decade he devoted all his time and energy to improving healthcare there and witnessed the numbers of patients attending clinics swell.

"I realised we would not be able to handle this forever," he said, recalling the day he learned the importance of "primary-care".

For 10 years Wichai spent most of his time at the hospital. He rarely went out and made few forays into the community. And, when he did, it was with the wrong idea in mind.

"I thought I knew better than they did and kept telling them what to do, which never works," Wichai said.

Learning from past mistakes, the doctor started listening to citizens and encouraging them to participate in improving community health. This worked.

Among the important projects developed together by the hospital and the people was the "community-nurses programme", the Nam Phong Foundation and life-quality promotion.

The hospital and local administrators searched for area residents who wanted to study to become nurses. Upon graduation they would return home and work.

This has gone a long way to solving a shortage of nurses in the region.

The Nam Phong Foundation uses interest earned on its endowments to hire part-time specialists for the hospital. Patients no longer have to travel to the city for specialist treatment or surgery.

Promoting life quality sees the hospital training people - from students to housewives - as volunteers caring for hospital patients.

Nam Phong Hospital's success has been recognised by the Public Health Ministry. It has adopted the Nam-Phong model at three deep-South hospitals suffering serious staff shortages.

Yesterday, Siriraj Hospital named Wichai Outstanding Rural Doctor of the Year.

But Wichai is happiest his primary-care model will next year be exported to other countries by the World Health Organisation.

Arthit Khwankhom

The Nation