Ramathibodi Hospital to launch NBC-produced healthcare TV channel

“We developed Rama Channel from the idea of providing medical-care information to our patients in the hospital,” Rajata Rajatanavin, dean of the medicine faculty at Mahidol University’s Ramathibodi Hospital, said yesterday.
That in-house service has been operated by Datapro Computer Systems for several years. After discussion with partners, the hospital agreed to develop the service into Rama Channel to pass on its benefits to the general public.
The hospital has budgeted about Bt60 million for production costs, and NBC has been contracted to run TV production.
With NBC’s experience in television business for more than a decade, president Adisak Limprungpatanakij said the company was awarded a three-year management contract by Ramathibodi Hospital to operate the new channel.
Suwanna Ruangkanchanasetr, deputy dean for corporate communication and director of Sirikit Medical Centre, said that although Rama Channel was established as a non-profit organisation, it welcomed sponsorship from private companies from their corporate social responsibility budgets. Such companies could include banking, insurance, telecommunication and entertainment businesses. Each sponsorship package is worth about Bt10 million.
“We expect to see sponsorships covering 50 per cent of total investment on this channel and to reach break-even point within one year,” Suwanna said.
Rama Channel will be aired on TrueVisions channel 80 from October 24 as well as on the Internet. It will provide a number of programmes, including for children, mothers and families.
Supachai Chearavanont, chief executive officer of TrueVisions, said the company had granted a slot on its broadcasting platform for free. Rama Channel will reach its customers who subscribe to its premium and free-view packages.