Chon Buri: Saensuk Municipality in Muang district of this eastern province has won a gold award for its success after having teamed up with Dell Corporation and Intel Microelectronic (Thailand) nearly 15 years ago to kick off Thailand's first smart city for elderly people in Chon Buri.
Narongchai Khunplome, mayor of Saensuk Muncipality, said all the years of effort that have gone into improving the quality of life for people living in the small seaside city had been a response to its status as an ageing city with 20% of its 47,000 population aged over 60.
He said Saensuk Municipality realised that creating a healthy city would provide an avenue for sustainable development because the concept also spans the social, economic and environmental arenas.
"All must be integrated to create a city with good health. The municipality has invested in infrastructure, including a digital medical service platform as well as other necessary facilities to promote healthy recreational spaces for people of all ages," he told the media during a press tour at the weekend.
He said the city had been funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica) to support a plan to improve healthcare for the elderly. That included funding caregiver training in Japan and the construction of a Senior Development Centre where the elderly can enjoy many recreational activities such as swimming, dancing and more.
Saensuk is also among the top 10 healthy cities, performance-wise, funded by Jica.
Regarding smart technology, Mr Narongchai said the city now provides a "smart safety system", to 300 frail elderly citizens who live alone or who have developed severe non-communicable diseases.
The system sees each given a two-way communication GPS device for direct contact with a medical team in case of an emergency, Mr Narongchai said.
"We have done a great job of ensuring health security for our people. What we are looking to do in the future is also align the city's provisions with those of a "sports city", which is now a recognised status within the global community.
We have plans to invest more in better facilities for sports lovers," he said, adding that being a sports city will be a significant source of income, citing predicted revenue from staging a themed festival that could earn around 50 million baht each time it is held.
Meanwhile, Dr Amporn Chantawibul, a senior technical officer, said the department has plans to promote health for all ages through close cooperation with the local administration, adding that Saensuk Municipality is among 18 cities that have won a gold award for this year.
She said each city has its own particular management style that has driven it to achieve the main three elements of a Healthy Environment, Setting and People.