His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn Phra Vajiraklaochaoyuhua is a generous monarch, as demonstrated by the sustained support he has provided to equip medical personnel in their unrelenting battle against the Covid-19 pandemic.
Benevolence is a characteristic the monarch inherited from His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej The Great.
To mark His Majesty's 69th birthday on July 28, the King is being honoured for his many contributions to medical science and public health, which are needed more than ever to ease the suffering caused by the pandemic crisis that has ravaged the country for more than a year.
His Majesty the King is profoundly respected for his significant contributions to medical science and public health, particularly in alleviating the suffering caused by the pandemic crisis that severely affected the country from the beginning of 2020 onward, spanning over three years.
Since the first outbreak of Covid-19 in early 2020, His Majesty has donated 122 million baht's worth of mobile lab vehicles and medical equipment to hospitals and medical institutes around the country.
The donations reached the hospitals and institutes through the project dedicated to supplying medical equipment and respirators to fight Covid-19. The project served to strengthen the country's public health sector by offering instruments for screening and testing people at risk of infection in heavily affected areas.
His Majesty kept a close watch on the Covid-19 situation and was most eager to see his subjects relieved quickly of their suffering and hardship.
The King donated two mobile X-ray units along with 200,000 reusable, standard personal protective equipment (PPE) items, 400,000 standard PPE Silguard isolation gowns, and 50,000 standard PPE Silguard coveralls.
The royally donated PPE items were a welcome reprieve for front-line medical workers who could never have enough protective gear as they worked long hours each day to save lives and sometimes risked their own in the process.
Their Majesties the King and Queen received a prototype of the Express Analysis Mobile Unit from the president of Chulalongkorn University Council in 2021.
Their Majesties donated four more such units, which, together with the one given by the university, were handed to the public health permanent secretary to conduct Covid-19 tests.
The mobile units were deployed along with sample-collecting vehicles which were also royally donated. From sample gathering to analysis, the process is complete within three hours, which is useful for mass testing in areas with high concentrations of infections and manageable tracing of infection clusters.
On June 7, 2021, Their Majesties granted 16 more sample-collecting vehicles fitted with onboard information technology and six biosafety units in tow.
These were in addition to 20 similar vehicles royally donated previously. The vehicles and the units were able to offer on-site testing, thereby saving people a trip to the hospital and limiting the spread of infection.
According to a news bulletin of the Bureau of the Royal Household (BRH), Their Majesties have kept their fingers on the pulse of the pandemic since it was first detected in Thailand in early 2020.
Their Majesties imparted guidance on measures to contain the infection and offered moral support to public health workers on the ground. Their Majesties understood their hard work and exhaustion from being on the medical front lines and dedicating their service to the sick.
Their Majesties also purchased farming products from all regions and producers to sustain trade and provide an economic lifeline to the people during the crisis.
On June 12, 2021, the BRH website posted a message about a host of dishes cooked by His Majesty which were being distributed to medical workers treating Covid-19 patients at hospitals and field hospitals.
The meals were full of essential nutrients, including pork noodles, braised pork spare ribs with rice, and northern-style laab with galingale.
The King also permitted the kitchen of the Amporn Sathan Residential Hall at Dusit Palace to prepare meals to be handed out by the military to people in quarantine from May 24 to June 11 that year in Bangkok.
Altogether, 44,196 meal boxes went to those in need every day, bringing joy and a feeling of gratitude.
Also, on July 6, the King's deputy principal private secretary, Air Marshal Supichai Sunthornbura, on behalf of His Majesty, gave 2,000 bottles of fah talai jon (kariyat) medicinal concentrate to then-Bangkok governor Aswin Kwanmuang for allocation to Covid-19 patients receiving treatment at hospitals and other facilities.