WE CARE

With open arms

Medical bills may be skyrocketing elsewhere, but at the Wat Don Clinic patients get free treatment in a friendly and caring atmosphere

Bussarawan Teerawichitchainan

Mention Wat Don and most people think of the myths surrounding the temple's "haunted" graveyard and its terrifying spirits.

But ask nearby residents about the temple nowadays and you're likely to hear a completely different story.

For them, the age-old temple is better known for its medical clinic which offers impressive treatment and friendly service for free.

"The doctor is very nice to me, and the other medical staff are also polite," said Grandpa Kosol Innarm with a smile. The 74-year-old has been suffering from mild hypertension for years.

Living near the temple, the elderly man walks to the Wat Don Clinic once a month to have a medical check-up and receive his prescribed medicine.

"Doc reminds me to take my pills at every meal and have a little exercise every day. He also insists I see him again," he continued. "I feel very good that there is somebody who cares for the well-being of poor people like me."

Grandpa Kosol is one of ten thousand patients who each year seek Wat Don's free medical service.

Situated in the temple's compound on Charoen Krung Road Soi 57, the clinic provides healthcare for low-income people living in the nearby slum communities.

"Just because these people are poor shouldn't stop them from having good health," said Vichan Saengkitikomol, one of the clinic's founders.

With this goal in mind, Mr Vichan and other members of the Kalayanavisut Foundation (see "A question of beauty and purity") set up the medical centre in 1993. They raised funds and recruited medical staff volunteers.

Wat Don is located near Bangkok's business centre, Silom and Sathon roads.

"Ironically, residents here have easy access to nearby private hospitals," Mr Vichan pointed out, "but like impoverished people elsewhere, they just cannot afford to go."

To make matters worse, the state infirmaries in the area are too busy to provide proper healthcare for everybody.

Take Boonkrua Iamjoi for example, a worker in Saphan Pla, the fish market which is not very far from Wat Don.

"I earn less than 200 baht a day. How can I take my little children to a private clinic?" the mother of two moaned. "I once went there and they charged me almost 200 baht for just flu treatment."

She can't even take her children to a state hospital because she has to work all day.

"The Wat Don Clinic, which is open in the evening, is ideal for me and my children," said the woman in her late 20s. "As a private organisation, we want to help low-income people because good physical health is one of life's most basic necessities," Mr Vichan explained. "At the same time, we can relieve some of the government's burden."

The Wat Don Clinic is open on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. It offers both general medical care and dental treatment. Currently, two doctors, two dentists and 10 assistants take it in turns to run the clinic.

"We also provide health check-ups, family planning and immunisation for those who need it," said Dr Sornchai Veeramanomai, a full-time physician at Lert Sin Hospital who has been with the clinic since it opened.

During the past five years, over 40,000 patients have received healthcare at Wat Don, many from the Charoen Krung area.

Recently, however, patients have arrived from far away locations like Pak Kret in Nonthaburi province or Samrong in Samut Prakan. Most got to know about the clinic through word of mouth. According to Dr Sornchai, his patients come from every age group, ranging from new-born babies to the middle-aged and the elderly. "We accept everyone who comes to us, except cases we think are related to crime," the doctor said.

For patients with serious illnesses, such as cancer or kidney disorders, the medical staff refer them to state hospitals. On a case-by-case basis, the Kalayanavisut Foundation will consider taking responsibility for their medical bills.

Apart from careful medical treatment, the emphasis at the Wat Don Clinic is on friendly service. "We can't treat the patients rudely just because they don't have to pay," Mr Vichan said. Grandpa Kosol is one patient impressed by the politeness of the clinic staff.

"I used to go to a nearby state hospital," the old man explained. "But the nurses there spoke to me in a very authoritative manner and had me wait for hours.

Finally, they didn't allow me to see the doctors because I forgot my social security card," Grandpa Kosol complained. As a result, Grandpa Kosol was put off seeing doctors for years. "Then, my neighbours advised me to come here. It's made a big difference. I feel as if they are sensitive to my illness," he said. In fact, the clinic's staff try to give the elderly, small children and monks especially close attention, Mr Vichan explained. On any given day, between 70 to 80 people arrive on the clinic's doorstep for general treatment, while another 12 to 15 queue up for dental care.

"We give service on a first-come-first-served basis," declared Supatra Puangkwan, an assistant at the clinic. "Nobody gets privileged treatment here."

Such a large number of patients make the small medical unit look crowded. Less than ten patients can wait inside the clinic which means the others have to sit outside in the seats provided.

"There are more people on Mondays and Fridays than on Wednesdays," Ms Supatra said. "Patients coming from distant places usually arrive at the clinic as early as 2 p.m. to get a good seat."

All the check-ups, both general and dental, are carried out in one room partitioned off into three tiny compartments, with the pharmaceutical counter tucked into one corner. However, despite its small size, the clinic is fully equipped.

"We once planned to build a several-storey building for the clinic. But we had to suspend the project because we didn't have enough money," recalled Mr Vichan. The clinic's operation is based solely on donations from the Kalayanavisut Foundation. According to Mr Vichan, its monthly expenses stand at 400,000 baht.

"Meeting the medicine bills each month is a big job for us. So we can't think about any new projects right now," Mr Vichan said.

As a result of the current economic crisis and the depreciation of the baht, medical costs have soared by as much as 30 percent.

What's more, because most of those who make donations to the foundation are businessmen and traders, funds have dropped considerably over the past few months. But the current economic situation is also putting more pressure on the clinic.

"Today we've got more patients," noted Dr Sornchai. "Now, even some well-off middle class people use our free service."

To help with the escalating costs, Wat Don Clinic has begun to accept donations from the patients themselves. However, Mr Vichan pointed out this is still not enough to cover all the clinic's expenses.

Nevertheless, a lack of money is not enough to discourage the foundation from continuing its public health work.

"The show must go on. We just can't stop," Mr Vichan insisted. "If the poor and physically weak knock at your door, how can you turn them away?"

Information for donations:

Name of organisation: The Kalayanavisut Foundation.

Address: 23/12 Soi Don Kusol, Charoen Krung Road Soi 57, Yan Nawa, Bangkok 10120.

Contact person: Waraporn Phongkorn, the foundation's manager.

Tel: 212-3451-3 or 211-0302.

Fax: 211-4875.

Savings account name: The Kalayanavisut Foundation.

Account number: savings account number 013-2-46633-5.

Bank name and branch: Thai Farmers Bank, Yan Nawa branch.

Please send or fax a copy of the deposit to the above address so the foundation can issue every donor a receipt.

A question of beauty and purity

The Kalayanavisut Foundation was set up in 1981 by a group of Buddhist monks and businessmen who respected the work of Luangpoh Phra Khru Kalayanavisut, former abbot of Wat Don.

Apart from the Wat Don Clinic, the foundation runs many charitable projects in accordance with its name which means "beauty and purity."

These include scholarships for needy students, a rescue service for victims of natural disasters and cremation support for the kinless.

The foundation is about to finish building a hospital for the elderly in Bang Lamung, Chon Buri province.

Other healthcare providers

Dr Sapha Limphanichakarn's five-baht clinic is located at: 89/2 Soi Ranong 1, Ratchawat, Dusit, Bangkok.

Call 419-8312.

The Aksorn Vechakarn Songkroh Clinic, set up by a group of businessmen, is located on Sunthorn Kosa Road, Klong Toey, near the Port Authority's football pitch.

Call 249-2130 or 249-2229.