The Priest Hospital has launched four virtual hospitals in Khon Kaen, Phichit, Nakhon Si Thammarat and Nonthaburi as a palliative care model for monks who have terminal illnesses.
Almost 10,000 of the country’s 240,000 monks were in the final stage of various illnesses in 2021, according to data from the National Office of Buddhism, said Dr Nutthapong Wongwiwat, deputy director-general of the Department of Medical Services.
The Bangkok-based hospital, the only one in the country established specifically to care for monks and novices, has developed a virtual hospital project that aims to improve the quality of treatment for monks in the final stages of their life.
The virtual hospitals will be run by health volunteer monks who have completed a palliative care training course.
Priest Hospital director Apichai Sirakuljira said the training course requires monks to pass 70 hours of classes, five days of lectures and a 15-day clinical training course at a hospital.
Monks’ precepts limit them from adopting a normal lifestyle. When they are diagnosed with terminal illnesses, some will ask to be discharged and stay at their temple. However, the temples usually lack equipment for palliative care.
The palliative training course for monks is now available in 13 health districts. Dr Apichai said the Priest Hospital had also opened model virtual hospitals at Wat Tha Prachum in Khon Kaen, Wat Thap Khlo in Phichit, Wat Boon Na Rob in Nakhon Si Thammarat and Wat Sanghathan in Nonthaburi.
The hospital aims to open virtual hospitals for palliative care in every health district by 2027.