Eye hospital launches Bt120m fund-raising appeal
A 15-YEAR-OLD girl had never seen anything until she received surgery at the Banphaeo Hospital, which is now calling for donations in the hope its services can cover more patients.
“I hope others can get or restore their eyesight just like me,” Jirarat Jaipian said in support of the donation campaign.
Located in Samut Sakhon province, Banphaeo Hospital (Public Organisation) has been constructing the Banphaeo Eye Hospital but it needs a further Bt120 million to complete the project and equip it with the facilities needed by a specialised centre for eye care.
If this new facility opens, the Banphaeo team will be able to help many more patients.
“To blind patients, it’s so meaningful even if their wait can be cut short,” Banphaeo Hospital director Dr Pornthep Pongtawigorn said.
He said about 100,000 people in Thailand, especially in rural areas, were in need of treatment mostly for cataract followed by glaucoma, macular degeneration and cornea issues.
At present, Banphaeo Hospital’s team of 15 eye doctors now treats 500 eye patients every day, despite being limited in its number of examination rooms and operating theatres.
Wolf BKK chief creative officer Torsak Cheunprapa led a team to produce a five-minute video to promote their fundraising campaign titled “Tham Dee Hai Khon Mong Hen” (do good in restoring people’s eyesight).
The video, by famous film director Thanonchai Sornsriwichai, showed how devoted the hospital’s doctors and staff had been in restoring people’s sight and how they needed more funds to operate and save others. It also contained interviews with several patients.
The 300-bed Banphaeo Hospital provides healthcare through its 130 doctors, who cover nearly all specialist fields, and 1,500 multi-disciplinary staff members.
It has been known since 2005 as having the country’s largest eye-surgery team and has joined with the National Health Security Office (NHSO) to provide mobile eye-surgery services in rural areas as well as in other countries such as Cambodia, Myanmar and Bhutan. Altogether, it has helped nearly 100,000 people over the past 14 years.
Ophthalmologist Dr Pansamorn Chamnankit said that once finished Banphaeo Eye Hospital would support at least 1,000 patients daily and would save patients in the regions having to travel to Bangkok for treatment.
Banphaeo charges Bt10,000 for cataract surgery, cheaper than other hospitals, while those with the NHSO scheme or social security subscription can get the surgery for free.
Donations can be made to the Krungthai Bank account number 745-0-33317-1 under the name “Banphaeo Hospital, Fund to Create Banphaeo Eye Hospital”, or via phone call (typing *948*888*100#) where you can make Bt100 donations.