• 
• 

Published on August 15, 2007

Dr Winai Sawasdiworn, deputy secretary-general of the NHSO, said the project, started in October 2005, was available for up to 8,000 patients with heart disease. Applicants must be registered with the universal healthcare scheme to get free treatment.

The programme celebrates His Majesty the King's 80th birthday and HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana Krom Luang Naradhiwas Rajanagarindra's 84th birthday.

The NHSO has allocated Bt864 million for the project.

So far, only 4,439 people have undergone surgery. There is room for a further 4,218 patients to get free surgery.

Meanwhile, hospitals in the southern provinces are desperately short of heart surgeons.

Dr Sumet Peeravud, Director of Songklanagarind Hospital, said the hospital only had three surgeons but had to treat 500 cases a year in the deep South - including more than 480 cases from the project initiated by the NHSO.

"We have too many patients to treat and only have three surgeons. It is simply not enough," Dr Sumet said.

All surgeons had to work hard and went without holidays. Many had increased their working hours from 96 hours to 219 hours a month to perform two heart surgery cases a day. The workload was making the surgeons tired and prevented them from having any time with their families, he said.

Dr Chareonkiat Rergkliang, head of the cardiovascular and thoracic surgery division, complained that his team needed more time off, but due to the lack of surgeons, had to take care all of cases.

He said the heavy workload meant many patients had to wait three years to receive treatment and some of them died before they could be operated on.

However, Songklanagarind Hospital's far larger team of surgeons had already treated 308 cases and expected to reach 480 by the end of this year.

Dr Sumet said the hospital would increase the number of beds from 14 to 22 for new cases next year.

Pongphon Sarnsamak

The Nation