THAILAND: Enlightenment in Bangkok

BANGKOK, Thailand / Bangkok Post / Religion / December 10, 2011


By Nauvarat Suksamran, Reporter


A Buddhist novice who could not speak Thai when he arrived in the country is now showing the importance of compassion with his practical mission to help flood victims

More than four decades ago, a young Buddhist novice from Nepal began a spiritual journey to self-discovery.

Phra Anilman explains how to address religious issues and deliver debates on some of the contents in the Tripitaka (Buddhist canon). NAUVARAT SUKSAMRAN

The journey eventually took him in 1970 to a temple in Bangkok, where he found a source of inspiration to dedicate himself to helping those in distress.

At Wat Bowon Niwet in Phra Nakhon, the novice studied Buddhism and was later ordained as a monk by the Supreme Patriarch, who has since become both his teacher and mentor.

Phra Anilman Thammasakiyo, also known as Phra Anil Sakya, 51, is determined to follow the footsteps of the Lord Buddha and the Supreme Patriarch in spreading Buddhist teachings to guide humanity on a spiritual path to inner peace and enlightenment.

The senior monk searches for
information from the computer
in his living quarters.
NAUVARAT SUKSAMRAN

Phra Anilman has been recognised as a ''modern monk'' who is able to adjust the monastic role of a monk to suit the changing circumstances of the modern world.

He has also been actively involved in charity to help people in trouble regardless of their religious beliefs.

Since the country was hit by the flood crisis, Phra Anilman has been keen to help its victims.

Alongside other volunteers at Wat Bowon Niwet, the monk has kept busy packing relief supplies for flood victims before setting off to distribute the bags in flooded areas every day for more than a month.

Phra Anilman was ordained by the Supreme Patriarch when he reached the age of monkhood and then received scholarships from His Majesty the King to pursue his masters and doctoral degrees in Britain.

He is now assistant secretary to His Holiness Somdet Phra Nyanasamvara, the Supreme Patriarch of Thailand, deputy dean of the faculty of social sciences at Mahamakut Buddhist University and a visiting professor at Mahidol and Kasetsart universities as well as Santa Clara University in California and Oxford, England.

Born in Nepal, the monk claimed descent of the ancient noble family of Sakya, Nepal, of which the Lord Buddha was a prominent member.

Phra Anilman Thammasakiyo speaks at 
an international forum on cultural diversity 
in Britain three years ago.

Fluent in Thai, English and Hindi, Phra Anilman said that when he turned 14, he was ordained as a novice at the behest of his father, who was a devout Buddhist.

His father had long wished to see one of his sons ordained as a novice or a monk, so when his elder brother entered university, the onus fell on young Anilman to become a novice.

''Initially, I agreed because I thought I would live more comfortably being a novice. It was just a childish thought,'' Phra Anilman said.

The monk said Nepalese Buddhists actually regard ordination as the ultimate point and the greatest opportunity in life. When one is ordained, they are supposed to remain in the novicehood or monkhood for life.

''If you leave the monkhood, people will have a low opinion of you and consider you unworthy of their respect,'' the monk said.

When the Supreme Patriarch visited Nepal in 1970, he arranged for Phra Anilman, then a novice, to come and study in Bangkok later that year.

He earned a bachelor's degree in religious studies from Mahamakut Buddhist University and pursued a master's degree in anthropology at Tribhuvan University in Nepal.

He went on to obtain a master of philosophy degree in anthropology from Christ's College of Cambridge University in England and a PhD in social anthropology from Brunel University in London.

Phra Anilman distributes relief supplies
to flood victims who are Burmese migrant
workers in Phetkasem. NAUVARAT SUKSAMRAN

In 2005, Phra Anilman initiated a new curriculum on Buddhism and globalisation at Santa Clara University. He said that when he was freshly ordained as a monk, he was invited to give a lecture for prisoners at the tough Bang Kwang Prison in Nonthaburi. He admitted he was frightened to stand before the convicts and, when he finished his lecture, the inmates moved close to him, scaring him even more.

But he realised later that the prisoners had appreciated his sermon so much that they had been trying to get close to him to pay their respects.

The monk said this experience prompted him to write an article titled ''When I was in jail'', which won acclaim in Nepal.

Phra Anilman is a prolific writer, penning many books and articles which have gained worldwide recognition.

He said he has been inspired by the example of the Supreme Patriarch, who has been a model for virtues and an austere monastic life, and a leading authority on Buddhist teachings.

Years of observing the Supreme Patriarch practise Buddhism and stay true to the kernel of religious teaching gave Phra Anilman the drive to be a teacher himself.

He recalled an occasion many years ago when the Supreme Patriarch exchanged views with His Majesty the King on the subject of Buddhist wisdom.

During the conversation, the Supreme Patriarch highlighted the details which he was uncertain about and then conducted private research on them to bring back to further discussions with the King.

Phra Anilman said his observations of the Supreme Patriarch and the King helped mould him in terms of being being able to soak up new knowledge and pass it on to others.

During the flood crisis, the secretariat of the Supreme Patriarch at Wat Bowon Niwet launched a flood relief project under the patronage of the Supreme Patriarch.

The project was inspired by the actions of the Supreme Patriarch, who himself has long been involved in providing relief and humanitarian assistance to disaster victims both at home and abroad.

When students and followers of Phra Anilman in other countries learned of the flood crisis in Thailand, they readily sent aid and provisions through the Supreme Patriarch's flood relief project.

They confirmed that they will continue to send assistance until all flooded areas in Thailand are dry.

''When I visit flood victims at shelters or in their communities, I will give them moral support and words of encouragement to raise their spirits so they can continue to battle the hardship,'' Phra Anilman said.

He stressed that compassion is key to ease people's suffering during times of crisis.

''Compassion means that the givers must be ready to devote themselves to ending the sufferings of others. They must sacrifice their happiness to help others,'' he said.

''Compassion does not mean you give so that you can wield influence on others or that you give so you can feel superior to others. That is a corruption of compassion.''

The monk recounted his days as a novice at Wat Bowon Niwet.

''When I arrived in Thailand, I missed my home very much. I couldn't speak a word of Thai. Sometimes I missed my parents so much that I cried. The Supreme Patriarch was very kind to comfort me and took me along with him on his visits to other temples,'' he said.

''This is the kindness and compassion he has given to me.''

A lifetime of study has taught Phra Anilman to also be a teacher who applies religion to daily life.

Copyright The Post Publishing PCL 1996-2011
____________________________________________________________ 

Credit: Reports and photographs are property of owners of intellectual rights.
Seniors World Chronicle, a not-for-profit, serves to chronicle and widen their reach.

THAILAND: Elderly flood victims lack support

BANGKOK, Thailand / Bangkok Post / News / December 9, 2011

NAKHON SAWAN : State and private sectors should pay more attention to elderly people affected by the flood disaster as they need special support to get their lives back to normal, a community leader says.

Payao Sapprasong, 84,emerges from her rented house in Muang district of Nakhon Sawan. The flood crisis destroyed most of her belongings.She used to work as a masseuse to earn enough money to send her grandson to school and pay the rent—now she is jobless. SOMCHAI POOMLARD

Karuna Kiriwan, leader of Wat Phrom Jariyawat community in Muang district, has voiced concerned over the well-being of older people in her community as most of them were left to struggle with the flood aftermath alone.

Like their communities upcountry, many young people have left the villages to work in big cities, leaving old people at home with their grandchildren.

Sixty percent of Wat Phrom Jariyawat community's 1,200 residents are elderly, Ms Karuna said, adding that most developed post traumatic stress disorder after the disaster.

"I have talked to them since the flood and found that they have serious depression," Ms Karuna said. "Most of them live alone or live with their grandchildren, whose parents work in other places.

"At such an old age, it is very difficult for them to earn enough money to restore their houses or to buy new household appliances."

Ms Karuna said agencies in charge of flood rehabilitation should urgently address the problem of mental health among the elderly. Light jobs, hobbies, and recreational activities should be organised to ease their stress, she said.

Payao Sapprasong is one of the elderly residents affected by the flood in early October.

The 84-year-old lived with her 16-year-old grandson in a 10-square-metre rental room when the floodwaters arrived.

She moved to an evacuation centre at a school at Wat Phrom Jariyawat community.

"At that time, I felt despair and didn't know what to do about the future," she said. "I can't do my job, which means that I don't have money for my grandson to go to school and no money to pay for the house rent."

She worked as a Thai traditional masseuse. Before the flood, she could earn about 400 baht a week, but when the flood struck she become jobless.

"I lost my closet, mattress and fan in the flood," Mrs Payao said. "It was my biggest loss in the flood. I don't know whether I have enough money to replace them as I need to keep money for my grandson.

"All I can do now is to pray. I pray for my strength, to be strong enough to survive the crisis."

She said she wanted the Pheu Thai government to increase the 500-baht allowance for the elderly as they promised during the election campaign. Ms Karuna suggested every disaster-hit community set up a centre for the elderly especially those who have no one living at home to take care of them.

"A community temple is a good venue to set up such a centre, where the elderly can have eating and resting areas," she said, adding that running a centre for the elderly needs cooperation from all sectors, including local residents.

The community council held regularly meetings to map out a flood rehabilitation programme, which covered all groups of residents, including elderly people.

Villagers formed a team to clean up the houses of those who needed help and to improve the community's landscape damaged by the deluge.

Ms Karuna said every community should come up with a plan to make their locality elderly-friendly as the nation becomes more and more an ageing society.

The Foundation of Thai Gerontology Research and Development Institute, said Thailand had 7.1 million elderly people in 2009. This number is expected to increase as the life expectancy at birth has been risen from 68.5 to 73.6 years for men and from 75 to 79.1 years for women.

Copyright The Post Publishing PCL 1996-2011

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Credit: Reports and photographs are property of owners of intellectual rights. 
Seniors World Chronicle, a not-for-profit, serves to chronicle and widen their reach.

THAILAND: 61-year old gets 20 years jail for sending four SMS

BANGKOK, Thailand / The Bangkok Post / News / November 24, 2011

COURTS
The Criminal Court yesterday sentenced 61-year-old Ampon Tangnoppakul to 20 years in jail after finding him guilty of lese majeste and computer crimes. Lese-majeste is the crime of violating majesty, an offence against the dignity of a reigning sovereign or against a state.

The verdict was read out over a video conference link this morning as the Bangkok Remand Prison is isolated by flooding and Ampon was unable to attend the hearing. The verdict triggered weeping and sobbing among Mr Ampon's family members. The court found him guilty on four counts under two laws _ Section 112 of the Criminal Procedure Code, widely known as the lese majeste law, and Section 14 of the Computer Crime Act. He was sentenced to five years in prison on each count.

Mr Ampon, a Samut Prakan resident, is also known as "Uncle SMS" among those who follow his updates, or as "Ah Kong" _ or grandpa among his acquaintances. He was charged with sending four text messages with offensive content in May last year to the personal secretary of then prime minister Abhisit Vejjajiva.

Ampon: Wept upon hearing court verdict

Presiding Judge Chanathip Muanphawong said in his verdict that prosecutors had demonstrated Ampon sent text messages disparaging to Her Majesty the Queen on May 9, 11, and 22. "[Telecommunications] traffic data from Dtac and True, the mobile phone operators, which are required to be kept under the law is considered as reliable evidence," the court said.

Police from the Technology Crime Suppression Division could identify precisely that the data of the first 14 digits of the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) traced from the messages was from Mr Ampon's mobile phone. The defendant could not produce experts to back up his claim that the IMEI number could have been forged. Also, he could not produce witnesses who could back up his claim that he did not know how to send text messages. With all the witnesses and evidence, the court found him guilty and sentenced him to 20 years in prison. After the verdict, at Bangkok Remand Prison, a prison official who was sitting beside Mr Ampon asked the court officers by phone about the verdict results because the sound on the video link was not clear.

A court official responded: "The uncle faces 20 years in jail". Ampon reportedly wept, surrounded by his daughters, granddaughters, and a daughter-in-law as well as activists campaigning for reform of article 112. Ms Rosamalin, Mr Ampon's wife, said the family was most concerned about his mental fatigue and despondency. "His strength is almost gone already. With the harsh sentence at his age, we just want to plead for bail [to appeal the verdict] so that we can get treatment for his worsening oral cancer symptoms."

After the verdict, his defence lawyer and his family discussed how they would proceed: to lodge an appeal or work towards being granted a royal pardon.

Copyright The Post Publishing PCL 1996-2011
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Credit: Reports and photographs are property of owners of intellectual rights.
Seniors World Chronicle, a not-for-profit, serves to chronicle and widen their reach.

THAILAND: Older people stranded at home

BANGKOK, Thailand / ReliefWeb / HelpAge International / November 10, 2011

By Caroline Graham

HelpAge is working to help at least 2,500 older people and their families affected by the floods in Thailand. The country’s worst flooding in half a century has caused widespread damage in approximately 60 provinces out of 76. Older people have been severely affected, mainly due to poor mobility and lack of money. Thousands are stranded in their homes without basic essentials such as food, water and medicine.

Thousands of older people, like this man, have stayed behind in their flooded homes 

(c) HelpAge International

Our partners, the Rural Elderly Entrepreneurship Development Association (REEDA) and the YMCA, say some moved out of their homes to relief centres. However, thousands of older people remained in their houses, never believing the water level would rise this high. Flooding on this scale has never happened in their lifetime.

Older people were also worried about security and did not want to leave their houses empty for fear of having property stolen. Now they are finding it almost impossible to go out and get essential supplies.

We are working with REEDA in the central provinces of Chainat and Singburi and with the YMCA in Ayuthaya, near Bangkok. Together, we are assessing the specific needs of older people in these areas so we can provide appropriate relief assistance.

Cut off from the community
HelpAge International's Senior Programme Manager in the region, Godfred Paul, said: "Some older people are unable to move due to mobility problems. Some are refusing to leave as they do not want to leave their home unattended. Others do not want to be a burden to their children or other family members, so decided to stay back. "These older people are not able to get to distribution centres, health and other essential services. They are cut off from the rest of the community. People who are still living in their homes need food, water, medicines and sanitation materials.                                             Photo: Kerek Wongsa/Reuters

"Some older people want to go out to get essential items but need help. Many have tried wading through the water with walking sticks. A local newspaper reported an older women coming to the food distribution point after having starved for five days in her house." The Thai Government does not have enough boats or boat drivers to deliver help to people in need. Prices of essential goods are sharply rising, and cases of theft and other crimes are increasing as people become more desperate.

"All this makes older people even more vulnerable," Paul added. Some older people stranded in their houses cannot even afford to pay for a ride in the few boat services available. They are unable to call for help as they have no electricity to charge their mobile phones or because they have run out of credit.

Those with chronic conditions have run out of medicines and cannot get to hospitals or health centres. Not knowing when the flood waters will recede, or if their home and possessions are safe, is causing many older people a great deal of anxiety and stress.

Delivering essential items
Needs assessments so far have shown the main items required are food and drink, such as rice and milk. Other essential items such as blankets, toilet paper, water filters, portable gas stoves, kettles, mosquito repellent, torches, chlorine and EM mudballs to neutralise contaminated water have also been listed.

Thanks to emergency funding, HelpAge and its partners can now deliver these items and cash grants to 2,500 households. We are also coordinating a medical mission in all the three provinces to be delivered by Mercy Malaysia.

Concerns about the cost of recovery
A more detailed assessment of what older people need as Thailand recovers from this disaster will follow. The findings will be given to government and civil society agencies.

Older people are already worried about the cost of recovery. Their homes will need to be cleaned and repaired. Many will have to try and find work to earn an income, and get medicines for their health.

© 2011 ReliefWeb
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Credit: Reports and photographs are property of owners of intellectual rights.
Seniors World Chronicle, a not-for-profit, serves to chronicle and widen their reach.

THAILAND: Happiness index for Thais drops

BANGKOK, Thailand / The Nation / National News / August 6, 2011

The so-called Gross Domestic Happiness Index among Thais is dropping due to worries over a sluggish economy, political turmoil and natural disaster, according to an Abac poll released yesterday

The study conducted between July 20 and August 4 among 3,028 people living in 17 provinces showed that the index had dropped to 6.8 out of 10 points from the previous 7.55 points. The respondents said they were troubled by several negative factors in their lives.

The problems they mentioned were political instability, power play among government officials, economic downturn, rising cost of living, flooding and other natural disasters as well as poor infrastructure.

(c) 2007 www.nationmultimedia.com
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Credit: Reports and photographs are property of owners of intellectual rights. 
Seniors World Chronicle, a not-for-profit, serves to chronicle and widen their reach.

THAILAND: Thai researchers conquer disabilities

BANGKOK, Thailand / The Nation / Technology / July 19, 2011

NEW TECHNOLOGIES By Jirapan Boonnoon
The Nation

Information technology is rapidly expanding its role in the lives of most people. But while most of us think of IT in terms of business and professional support, communications and entertainment, there are a growing number of disabled and elderly people for whom information technology is lifting a severely handicapped existence up to near normalcy.

Many information-technology applications, designed to improve the quality of life of disabled children and adults and elderly people, will be highlighted at the fifth International Convention on Rehabilitation Engineering & Assistive Technology (i-CREATe 2011), which opens at the Swissotel Nai Lert Park in Bangkok on Thursday.

The following are two (of the three) such applications, developed by researchers in Thailand, that will fall under the spotlight at the three-day conference.

Brain-controlled wheelchair

This project developed a hybrid EEG-EOG brain-computer interface system for practical machine control. It was undertaken by a student team from the Department of Biomedical Engineering in Mahidol University's Faculty of Engineering.

Team leader Jetsada Arnin said existing brain-computer interface systems had practical problems, including accuracy with various subjects, the number of sensors required and time for training the subject.

In the Brain-Controlled Wheelchair Project, the team proposed a hybrid framework for the brain-computer interface that would be more practical for machine control.

An electrooculogram (EOG), which measures the difference in the electrical potential between the front and back of the eye in response to dark and light, is used to control the machine in the left and right directions, while an electroencephalogram (EEG), which uses electrodes placed on the scalp to measure electrical activity in the brain, is used to control the machine's forward motion, no action, and complete stop.

The team found in the two years it took to develop the system that by using only two-channel biosignals, it could achieve average classification accuracy of more than 95 per cent.

As well, to enhance the system's efficiency, automatic controls were added. These consist of an automatic forward and prevention module. An infrared sensor is used to detect obstacles while the wheelchair is moving, and automatic forward is used to control line tracking.

The system, which works under the control of measured brain waves, aims to help people with limb paralysis to control an assistive device. It is backed up by a call centre which is able to both monitor the movements of the wheelchair and control them.

"We were inspired to develop this project because we believed that disabled people should be able to find an important place in their family and society. We wanted to improve their quality of life, so they can reach any goal, like normal people," Jatsada said.

Brain-based neurofeedback device

Mahidol University's Department of Biomedical Engineering has succeeded again with a device designed to treat children with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

The leader of the student team that developed the device, Supassorn Rodrak, said ADHD was a brain disorder suffered by 6.5 per cent of children in Thailand. The usual treatment involves drugs, and these often have side effects like vomiting, dizziness and headaches.

This hybrid EEG-HEG based neuro feedback device can help with disorders associated with hyperactivity. (Photo courtesy: Bangkok Post)

The device developed at Mahidol University uses brain signals and blood-oxygen levels in the frontal brain to deliver an alternative treatment called neurofeedback, in which the brain is taught through feedback how to improve its regulation and work more optimally.

Supassorn said the signals normally used in neurofeedback were electroencephalograms (EEG), which measured changes in the brain's electrical activity, and hemoencephalograms (HEG), a measure of brain blood flow that changes along with blood oxygenation.

The Mahidol team set out with the knowledge that both signals had advantages and drawbacks. It proposes that its hybrid EEG-HEG neurofeedback device eliminates the disadvantages of both signals and employs them both to achieve the highest accuracy.

(c) 2007 www.nationmultimedia.com
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Credit: Reports and photographs are property of owners of intellectual rights.
Seniors World Chronicle, a not-for-profit, serves to chronicle and widen their reach.

THAILAND: Government must face up to coming society of elders

BANGKOK, Thailand / The Nation /  National / June 22, 2011

Thailand is becoming a society of the elderly - their numbers will increase to 20 million in the next 40 years - and academics have called on political parties to issue elderly-friendly policies for the coming election to improve their quality of life.

To date, only 12 of 40 political parties have issued policies for the elderly, and they focus mainly on monthly allowances that will be provided for them.

"Elderly people need economic and social security not just money," College of Population Studies' dean, Associate Professor Viphan Prachubmoh said.

Speaking at a seminar on the "difficulties of social welfare policies for elderly people" - organised by Thai Universities for Healthy Public Policy - she said political parties should come up with concrete policies to deal with the coming challenges of an ageing population in coming decades.

Social welfare and health issues for elderly people must be established as a national agenda - such as the HIV/Aids issue - which every government needs to implement, she added.


Political parties must issue policies to support elderly people not able to take care of themselves. Also needed is a longterm care policy for the elderly, especially those over 80 years.

As elderly people are the most at risk of getting into poverty during a recession, political parties should issue policies to implement the pension fund, encouraging elderly to save money for their comfortable retirement.

At present, Thailand has seven million elderly people but only 15 percent have saved money for retirement and some 30 percent have no insurance.

" Thailand still does not prepare itself for the coming ageing society, especially tax structural adjustment and social welfare funding, to look after elderly people in future," she said.

Sakon Waranyuwattana, an economics lecturer at Thammasat University, said local authority organisations should play a major role in providing public services that are friendly for elderly people.

To date, he said, such organisations still do not give their priorities to elderly friendly policies.

"It would be better if local authority organisations could invest a lot [more] budget to improve quality of life of elderly people instead of building infrastructure," he said.

"But now governments and local authorities are still throwing stuff over the fence at each other," he added.

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Credit: Reports and photographs are property of owners of intellectual rights.  
Seniors World Chronicle, a not-for-profit, serves to chronicle and widen their reach.

THAILAND: Thai Campaign Tempers Use of Antibiotics

CHOKECHAIPATTANA, Thailand / Inter Press Service / June 24, 2011

By Marwaan Macan-Markar

Every month, Buddhist monk Phra Patarapong visits this village of mostly wooden houses on stilts and draws crowds, but not just for his regular sermons on spiritualism. People come to see him also for his tips on health, in particular his warnings about the excessive use of antibiotics.

"Drink warm lemongrass when you have a cold," the 35-year-old monk advised a group of some 40 men, women and children who had gathered in Chokechaipattana’s airy community centre on a recent afternoon. "Clean food, clean drinks and regular exercise are better for you to stay healthy.

"The body can recover from viral infections," he continued, as some nodded in agreement. "Antibiotics cause unnecessary expenses to households, have adverse reactions (to the body), and overuse causes antibiotic resistance."

Such tips by the saffron-robed visitor, who jokingly describes himself as a "public health monk," are not out of the ordinary in this community of corn and cattle farmers. In Saraburi province, more than 100 kms north of Bangkok where Chokechaipattana is located, public health experts have been waging a campaign to keep people healthy by weaning them away from the pervasive habit of turning to antibiotics for any ailment.

In 2007, public health experts in Saraburi launched a pilot project called Antibiotics Smart Use (ASU). It has since spread to three other provinces – Ayuthaya, Ubon Rachathani and Samut Songkhran – as part of the second phase.

"This effort is to encourage people to change their attitude and go for the rational use of antibiotics," says Nithima Sumpradit of the International Health Policy Programme at the Public Health Ministry. "Thais take antibiotics as if they were aspirin."

Her effort to spread the ASU’s message is to caution patients from turning to antibiotics when infected with upper respiratory infections (URI), acute diarrhoea and simple wounds. "The body (does not need antibiotics to) heal itself from the three diseases," she told IPS. "And if people want something to take home after visiting a clinic, we prescribe herbal medicines."

Thailand’s effort to stem the liberal use of antibiotics in the wake of a looming crisis – antibiotic drug resistance caused by the excessive use of antibiotics – mirrors a global worry. In April, the World Health Organisation (WHO) marked World Health Day highlighting the need for "rational use of antibiotics" as its global theme for 2011.

Antibiotics resistance has become a global problem, transcending national boundaries, the Geneva- based health body warned. "The microbes that cause many diseases are becoming resistant to the drugs that are the mainstay of treatment of communicable diseases," Samlee Plianbangchang, WHO’s South and East Asia regional director noted during the April event.

Antibiotics have long been described as the "wonder drug" of modern medicine since the first antibiotic, penicillin, was discovered in 1928. That breakthrough by Alexander Fleming helped reduce deaths caused by infections from micro-organisms such as bacteria and fungi.

But in Thailand, people are using the drug even for the simplest ailments. The demand for it is reflected in the over 20 billion baht (660 million U.S. dollars) of antibiotics Thailand imports and produces annually, reveals Niyada Kiatying-Aungsulee, director of the Social Research Institute at Bangkok’s Chulalongkorn University.

It explains why antibiotic drugs are the most popular treatment in this country of 66 million people – accounting for 20 percent of all drugs used. "It is amazing because we have more use of short-term drugs like antibiotics than long-term drugs for cardiovascular disease," confirms Sumpradit.

Such high use stems from the ease with which antibiotics are made available to patients: doctors prescribe them readily and they can be easily bought over the counter without a prescription at the ubiquitous pharmacies located on most streets in this country.

"Patients have got so used to it that they expect to get antibiotics every time they come to the pharmacy," remarks Kankanid Kidtipornpechdee, the head of the pharmacy at the state-run Donpud district hospital in Saraburi. "It is easy for them to buy it at the supermarket, the mini-mart or the private pharmacy if we refuse."

And her attempts to warn against the excessive use of antibiotics – refusing patients who want the drugs when they do not have a prescription – often results in confusion. "At first they don’t trust what we say because they have got so used to it. They believe antibiotics are a must to get better from a cold or fever," she explained to IPS.

The WHO is one of the international groups sounding the alarm against complacency towards spreading antibiotic resistance. "Superbugs" like New Delhi Metallo-Beta-Lactamase (NDM-1), an enzyme that makes bacteria resistant to a broad range of beta-lactam antibiotics, are among the signs of this worrying development.

The need to "safeguard antibiotics for future generations," as the WHO states, has been compounded by the absence of new antibiotics in the pipeline. Between 2000 and 2010, only three new antibiotics have been discovered, a contrast from the golden age of the "wonder drug" in the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, when 26 new antibiotics were produced over three decades.

The reality that antibiotics have become a finite source and their overuse is reducing their potency is gradually being accepted by the over 100 families living in Chokechaipattana. "People are learning to adjust to not getting antibiotics when they go to the health clinic," says Nitchapa Netsringern, a health volunteer from the village. "But with new knowledge, there are always those who will believe and those who will not believe."

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Credit: Reports and photographs are property of owners of intellectual rights.
Seniors World Chronicle, a not-for-profit, serves to chronicle and widen their reach.

THAILAND: Drugs making elderly people sick, finds study

BANGKOK / The Nation / National News / June 2011

One in five elderly people taken to hospital are suffering side effects caused by taking two or more drugs at the same time, a recent study revealed.

Anti-diabetes drugs, high blood pressure drugs and carbon-detox drugs are the medicines most commonly used to treat elderly patients, according to a study by the Pharmacy Council.


The study collected data and interviewed 331 elderly patients at a hospital's medicine department over the past six months.

A study found that one in five of them had undergone treatment at hospital because of side effects from taking drugs.

About 40 per cent had taken inappropriate drugs. Around 60 per cent had experienced adverse drug effects from, for example, taking different drugs at the same time, council president Assoc Professor Thida Ningsanont said.

"Elderly patients had visited several hospitals to undergo treatment and receive drugs. Doctors who provided care should know what kind of drugs they had taken," she said.

"Some of them had bought drugs at drugstores by themselves, especially herbal medicines and supplements," she added.

Jatuporn Thong-im, a pharmacist at the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's Health Unit 51, said elderly people in the community had taken a lot of drugs over the past 10 years. "Some of them told me they had taken drugs like candy. Some like to take antihistamines for a long time as the side effects from taking the drugs help them sleep well," he said, adding that doing so could reduce the effectiveness of high blood pressure drugs.

In a bid to help elderly patients avoid side effects from taking excessive amounts of drugs, the council will distribute about 50,000 diaries, which will help them take notes about the drugs they are prescribed. The diaries can be obtained at hospitals and drug stores.

(c) 2007 www.nationmultimedia.com Thailand

THAILAND: In sunny Bangkok, 14% deficient in vitamin D

BANGKOK, Thailand / The Nation / National News / June 16, 2011

Despite the scorching sun over Bangkok, up to 14 per cent of its residents suffer from Vitamin D deficiency.

"They have rarely been exposed to sunlight. Women are more prone to develop this condition than men," Dr Boonsong Ongphiphadhanakul said yesterday. The urban lifestyle is to blame, he said.

Citing a survey of 2,500 people across the country, he told an academic conference that Vitamin D deficiency was detected in just 57 per cent of people outside the capital.

Vitamin D promotes calcium absorption in the intestine, which is good for healthy bones. Human bodies can produce Vitamin D if they are out in the sun.

"In fact, Thais should not have a Vitamin D problem at all, since we have strong rays throughout the year," he said.

Without adequate Vitamin D, people, especially the elderly, face a greater risk of osteomalacia and broken bones.

"There are also some connections between Vitamin D deficiency and diabetes and hypertension," he said.

To prevent Vitamin D deficiency, city people should get some sun for about 1015 minutes a few times each week.

"The exposure, without any sunblock, should be between 10am and 2pm," he said.

People can also acquire Vitamin D from their diet.

"We're doing research to determine which plants in Thailand are rich in Vitamin D. Studies conducted in foreign countries show mushrooms have a lot of Vitamin D."

(c) 2007 www.nationmultimedia.com Thailand

THAILAND: Health Crisis - Another 40,000 nurses wanted!

BANGKOK / The Nation / National News / June 14, 2011

Large incentives being offered as state hospitals fighting for graduates

By Pongphon Sarnsamak, The Nation


State-run hospitals across the country are competing strongly to grab newly graduated nurses because of a severe shortage blamed on government inattention over the past few years.

Khon Kaen Hospital director Dr Peeraphan Suwanchaimart said even though his hospital had 800 nurses, it was not enough because of the National Health Security Office's policy to extend medical services under the universal healthcare scheme. The hospital also had to provide medical treatment for patients transferred from other hospitals, especially from rural facilities. Currently, the hospital has to provide medical services to about 3,000 outpatients and 300 emergency patients a day. The hospital also has to treat about 900 in-patients.

But nurses could no longer shoulder the heavy workload, as many were getting older. So, the hospital had to recruit younger nurses to keep up its treatment standards. However, the hospital now faced challenges from other centres with staff shortages.

"We have to compete with other hospitals for nursing students and provide scholarships or grants, otherwise they will sign long-term contracts to work at other hospitals," Peeraphan said.

The hospital had been forced to provide Bt60,000 scholarships to attract new graduate nurses and asked them to sign a contact to work for two years to resolve the nursing shortage. During the past few years, there had been intensive rivalry among state hospitals for nursing graduates.

"We had to step back [in the race for] nursing students, as some hospitals had offered over Bt150,000 to them. We could not offer so much money," he said.

At Khon Kaen Hospital about 300 of the 800 nurses are employed as temporary workers. But such employees have been resigning due to the heavy workload, and going to work at private hospitals.

Chon Buri Hospital is another that has faced a severe shortage of nurses. Director Dr Chatri Tantiyawarong said the hospital needed over 900 nurses to work there but now had only 500.

"Even though the hospital has tried to recruit newly graduated nurses, no one has walked in and submitted a job application," he said.

To resolve the problem, Chon Buri set up a booth at the local university to recruit nurses. The hospital offers scholarships and a monthly salary, together with Bt13,500 when graduates sign a contract. New recruits also get benefits such as over-time and special allowances.

"Only 10 newly graduated nurses a year come to talk with us and want to work at the hospital," he said. "Some just work for a few months and then resign due to the workload." The hospital now has teamed up with a local university and other educational institutes to train its "own" nurses, by supporting them with Bt30,000 scholarships.

According to a recent survey conducted by the Thailand Nursing Midwifery Council, Thailand needs about 180,435 nurses in the health system but has only 138,710.

Human Resources for Health Research and Development Office (HRDO) manager Nongluck Pakraiya, who conducted a study, said many general and provincial hospitals, especially in the Northeast, had to resolve the problem by themselves.

They offer student nurses grants of Bt60,000 up to Bt160,000 and other benefits while in their first year of university. Nursing students were also asked to sign deals so they stayed with the hospital for four years.

The high demand for new nurses or nursing students at state hospitals has been caused by many senior nurses leaving over the past few years. Many experienced nurses could no longer bear the heavy workload, she said.

Another problem is most new nurses don't want to work at health ministry hospitals, as they are designated as temporary employees - not civil servants. They prefer to work at private hospitals instead, where they get higher wages for less work.

A 23-year-old nurse, who did not want to be named, who works at a state-run teaching hospital with a university, said she was offered a Bt150,000 scholarship by a state hospital while doing her first year at nursing school. She had to sign a contract with the hospital and promised to work there for four years. Failing to complete the contract would have meant having to pay Bt300,000 back to the hospital in compensation. She could get over Bt20,000 a month in salary to lift her quality of life but had to face a heavy workload everyday in the emergency department.

"Even though I face heavy workloads I will continue to work at this hospital as I can get an opportunity to improve my life," she said.

(c) 2007 www.nationmultimedia.com Thailand

THAILAND: Thais have better health now

BANGKOK, Thailand / The Nation / National News / June 11, 2011

Longevity among Thai people is greater but the number of teenage mother has tripled, a Bangkok seminar on Thai people's life quality and health was told yesterday.

Citing information on body examination collected by the Health Systems Research Institute (HSRI), Assoc Prof Chuenruethai Kanjanajittra said Thai people tended to have acquired good health through better public health services, improved mental and physical health and financial stability to afford good foods and post-retirement healthcare.

Personal health setbacks were also reported, like people at 15 or older became overweight and fat (34.7 and 32.1 per cent respectively), and the number of mothers under 20 years of age had increased from 5.6 per cent in 1958 to 15.5 per cent in 2008, especially among mothers aged 10-14 years.

The number of successful suicides has decreased from 8.6 to 5.7 per 100,000 citizens in the past decade, while econonic gap between the rich and the poor had not changed much, in the past 20 years. Rich people generate incomes around 54-59 per cent of GDP while the poor's total income was no more than 5 per cent.

"The richest people have incomes 11.3 times of those poorest," she added.

(c) 2007 www.nationmultimedia.com Thailand

THAILAND: Elderly folk 'overlooked'

BANGKOK, Thailand / The Bangkok Post / News / Politics / June 6, 2011

Senior doctors who represent authorities for the elderly have reminded parties to take good care of the country's senior citizens, as they represent about 20% of the electorate.

Dr Banlu Siripanich, chairman of the Foundation of Thai Gerontology Research and Development, said only a few parties had stated policies catering for the elderly, and those policies which had been offered were not comprehensive.

He suggested parties present policies to provide senior citizens with vocational training and activities, develop an environment that is friendly and accessible to older people, ensure long-term health care and welfare for them and guarantee incomes for elderly people with little or no means to generate income of their own.

Dr Suthichai Jitapunkul of the Older Persons Commission said although some parties had policies for older people, their policies were unclear when compared with other platforms. Parties might not realise the importance of senior citizens despite the fact that the elderly accounts for 20%, or nearly one-fifth, of eligible voters, and that they were highly interested in politics.

Elderly people who might benefit from welfare policies could influence the votes of younger family members, Dr Suthichai said.

He urged parties to issue policies to encourage and enable families to take care of their older and dependent relatives, provide the elderly with fair pensions, educate older persons and assign local administrative organisations to take care of senior citizens.

He disagrees with a policy to develop retirement homes. He said elderly people who had families should live with their relatives rather than enter retirement homes.

Copyright The Post Publishing PCL 1996-2011

THAILAND: Housing programme supports Bangkok's elderly

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BANGKOK, Thailand / Bangkok Post / Business / Housing / May 31, 2011

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) is moving ahead with a senior citizens' housing programme to support the capital's elderly, as the current number of homes for the elderly will be insufficient to accommodate the growing numbers of senior citizens.

Sawangkanives was launched by the Thai Red Cross for elderly residents.

Early this year, the Board of Investment agreed that more housing units for the elderly were needed in Bangkok but said more study was required.

"Baan Bang Kae 1 and 2, the current elderly shelters, are already full, and there's a long waiting list. These won't be enough to support the larger numbers expected in the future," said Thaiwat Triyapirom, director of the BMA's Housing Development Office.

He expects the new programme of building residential units for the elderly will be successful because the BoI will grant tax privileges to participating developers.

Eligible developers must have experience constructing elderly housing. Unit designs must incorporate medical equipment and special features such as reclining floors or elevators.

Bangkok has 6 million registered residents, 12-13% of whom are aged 65 and above.

However, most estimates put the capital's actual population at more than 10 million, including those who have relocated here for work or other purposes.

The BMA estimates the proportion of elderly will reach 20% of the city's population in the next decade.

Mr Thaiwat said Bangkok was entering an "elderly era" because birth and death rates were both declining.

Aliwassa Pathnadabutr, the managing director of the property agency CB Richard Ellis Thailand, said the country had yet to design very many property projects specifically targeting elderly Thais.

Broadly, two property types cater to this market - nursing homes and serviced residences attached to hospitals - but both have limited capacity.

Some small low-rise residential projects have been converted to nursing homes in the past, but these tend to fill up quickly.

Projects of this nature must take into account affordability, facilities required by the aged and on-site medical support.

The Thai Red Cross recently launched its second such project. Sawangkanives Phase 2 will comprise eight six-storey buildings with a total of 300 units worth a combined 270 million baht.

Phase 1, with 168 units priced from 850,000 baht, sold out.

Facilities include prayer, meeting and treatment rooms. Residents must be Thai and at least 55 years old.

As for serviced residences, Ms Aliwassa said those attached to hospitals target long-stay patients requiring extended recovery time and ongoing professional medical support.

These are aimed more at foreigners due to cost considerations.

Properties that target the elderly are specially designed, said Ms Aliwassa.

First, they should be located in the outer areas of the city, where traffic is less congested and the air quality is better, but still accessible from the central business district, she said.

On-site medical support is essential, along with direct hotlines to hospitals and police stations for emergencies.

In-room and common facilities should be designed with the needs of older residents in mind such as non-slip flooring materials in bathrooms, an in-room emergency line and wheelchair access.

Wheelchair ramps should also be installed throughout the project with clear signage, ample gardens and recreational space and extensive common areas. Also important is creating a sense of community among residents such as by scheduling regular activities.

Copyright The Post Publishing PCL 1996-2011

THAILAND: Aging Population Poses Challenges

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BANGKOK / VOANews / May 9, 2011

Pros Laput

Khon Kaen, Thailand
 

As young people seek bigger paychecks in Thai cities, the elderly and children

are left behind in the villages. Photo: VOA - P. Laput

Asian countries’ dramatic growth in recent decades has been fueled in part by a surplus of youthful labor. But as they have grown wealthier, many nations have pursued policies promoting lower birth rates and longer life expectancies, leading to a rapidly aging workforce.


For a closer look at how communities are preparing for their aging populations, Khon Kaen, northern Thailand, is a good example of a place where the elderly are increasingly left behind as young people seek jobs in the cities.

Working-age people in Thailand’s farming-oriented north and northeast traditionally moved to urban centers to earn money during dry season.

But in recent years, the growing demand for factory workers has made this a permanent migration. And as the young people seek bigger paychecks in cities, the elderly and children are left behind in the villages.

Khon Kaen University Professor Dusadee Ayuwat has been studying migration in the northeast for more than 20 years.


"Most of them are younger labor age, 15 years," she said. "After they finish secondary school they would like to work outside [their village] and they can work until they are 40."

Now, farms that traditionally relied on human labor are turning to machines to plant and harvest crops. The mechanized farms mean fewer job opportunities for older people.

The problem is similar in China, Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea and Singapore, where aging populations are growing faster than those in western countries.

Thailand expects its number of old people to double in 20 years because of birth rate control policies. The provinces in Thailand's north and northeast will age even more rapidly than the rest of the country, says Sopon Thangphet, an analyst who studied the trend for the International Labor Organization.

"We have a very short time to prepare ourselves ...in terms of welfare provision for this population group," he said.

Thai Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva says there is more to be done to help the elderly. He says his government will support initiatives of local authorities to run their own welfare system.

One old couple lives with two children in Khon Kaen. They both get 500 baht or about $18 monthly allowance from the government. Their two children who work in the nearby city provide some money for food, but it is not enough. The parents still must work to meet their needs.

He says 400 baht or $13 of his monthly government allowance goes to insurance. He says they have to work to come up with at least 100 baht or three dollars every day.

"They want to work because they don't want to be a burden also, and they want to remain to be valued by their community or family, " said Sopon Thangphet of Chiang Mai University.

One of the men says he has to work hard because he does not get support from his children.

"The key issue to promote employment for older persons in rural areas - I think the community industries might be the key economic solution," Sopon Thangphet said.

With the growing number of old people left in the villages, experts say local communities need to take a greater role in helping the elderly meet their needs.

THAILAND: Beggar's act of generosity to temple beggars belief

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BANGKOK / Bangkok Post / News / May 1, 2011

Saraburi invalid collects 400,000 baht in one year to make charitable donation

A beggar who spends his days at a temple asking passers-by for money has become an overnight celebrity after donating 400,000 baht to charity.

DESERVING CASE: Temple says Aiam Cambhiranon

is welcome to beg there any time.

Aiam Cambhiranon, 61, can be seen almost every day, from dusk to dawn, on a sidewalk at Wat Rai Khing, a popular temple in Nakhon Pathom's Sam Phran district, about 56km from Bangkok.

Mr Aiam said he has begged at the temple for 35 years. He has a stammer and speaks in short sentences.

The native of Saraburi suffers from weakness in his limbs which makes walking difficult. It's not known if he has any relatives.

On the ground next to him lies a small stainless steel box which he collects money in, photographs showing him making donations, certificates from the temple showing receipt of his contributions, and big plastic bags in which he keeps his money.

On April 9, the anonymous beggar caused a stir when news emerged that he gave 400,042 baht to the temple so it could buy lotus flowers for worshippers.

"I donate all to luang phor [the monks]," Mr Aiam said.

"Handsome," he said with a satisfied smile when shown a photograph of himself wearing a jacket while donating money to the temple.

When asked whether he wanted to go back home to Saraburi some day, he only smiled again.

Porntep Patthawee, 40, who has worked at Wat Rai Khing for three years, said Mr Aiam's disability and the humble way he carries himself draws sympathy from people who meet him.

When they started to give him money, he realised what his destiny was.

Mr Porntep is not sure when Mr Aiam first started to donate to the temple. He remembers, however, that Mr Aiam began to give some thousands of baht at first, then tens of thousands, and eventually hundreds of thousands a year.

This year's 400,042 baht is the most he has ever given.

''The temple is grateful for his kindness and charity,'' Mr Porntep said.

''He is different from other beggars who usually spend money they make from begging on their own needs. Mr Aiam returns money to society,'' said Mr Porntep.

He said the temple normally prohibits beggars from operating on its grounds but Mr Aiam is allowed to beg as he causes no harm or annoyance to anyone.

''Uncle Aiam does not ask for money. He just sits there quietly,'' Mr Porntep said.

He added that it's difficult to tell what is on the beggar's mind when he chooses to give away the money he begged for.

''He might hope that if there is a next life, he will be born healthy. What we do know is that he understands the meaning of 'sufficiency' and it would be good if other people thought like him,'' Mr Porntep said.

Mr Porntep, an administrative worker at the temple, is worried, though, that people will not see this side of the story and will focus only on how much Mr Aiam makes as a beggar.

He does not want the case of Mr Aiam to make people feel that they should turn to begging if it could make them a decent income.

Wat Rai Khing is one of the most popular temples in Nakhon Pathom.

On weekdays, about 3,000 people visit the temple. The figure shoots up to 5,000 to 10,000 on weekends.

If a temple fair or special event is held, as many as 50,000 people visit the temple.

Mr Aiam became well known among residents of Sam Phran after news of his big donation emerged.

Boonrod Podang, 71, a native of Sam Phran, said Mr Aiam commands his respect. ''Even if I have lots of money, I would still hesitate to donate such a large amount to a temple,'' he said.

''I have seen him sitting at the temple for more than 10 years. I do respect him and give him a wai every time we meet.''

Another native, who asked not to be named, said Mr Aiam was usually sitting by the temple church every time she visited.

She noted that despite his charitable mind, the could not escape being _dhdeceived, even mugged, due to his old age and disability.

About 4.30pm each day, Mr Aiam is picked up by a sa-leng tricycle to have a meal and bath.

The tricycle driver, who refused to be named, said he picked up Uncle Aiam three times a day _ in the morning, evening and at 1am when he needs a place to sleep.

''That's 100 baht a round [for sa-leng service],'' Mr Aiam said, before digging a 100 baht note out of his pocket.

''Grilled chicken,'' he said. ''... For the dogs.''

Within seconds, he was surrounded by the temple's stray dogs. He fed them, waved goodbye, and left.

Copyright The Post Publishing PCL 1996-2011