During June – August 2022, MFU Wellness Center and FUJIFILM organised the collaborative project ‘Mobile Medical Unit in remote areas of Chiang Rai province’ to promote proactive tuberculosis (TB) screening and reduce limitations to basic healthcare services among locals, hill tribes and stateless minorities in Mae Fah Luang District (Ban Laolew and Ban Pangmahan villages, Queen Sirikit Health Center and Ayo Subdistrict Health Promoting Hospital).
The locations of this medical checkup project are geographically remote communities in Chiang Rai located on the hill and almost a hundred kilometres away from the city. Therefore, local people have encountered difficulty in accessing healthcare services and never had a chance to take X-rays. In addition, it was reported that there were 67 tuberculosis patients in Mae Fah Luang District, Chiang Rai in 2021 with a mortality rate of 8.95 per year.
To solve this issue, MFU Wellness Center and FUJIFILM established cooperation and integrated MFU Wellness Center’s holistic healthcare services, ranging from basic healthcare to complicated medical surgeries, with FUJIFILM’s medical innovation, FDR Xair, the portable X-ray unit that can provide a mobile radiographic service to bedridden patients. In Ban Laolew and Ban Pangmahan villages, there were 550 people who had registered for the checkup and 147 cases were detected to develop pulmonary-related condition and were given appointments for treatment in the next step.
Assoc. Prof. Dr.Chayaporn Wattanasiri, President of Mae Fah Luang University said that Mae Fah Luang University was named after the mother of King Rama IX, Her Royal Highness Princess Srinagarindra, who was lovingly known to her subjects as Mae Fah Luang. HRH Princess Srinagarindra lavished much attention on the health and well-being of her subjects which later contributed to the foundation of MFU Wellness Center. The center provides people with basic healthcare services that prevent people from getting sick and reduce the burden on national health expenditure. As MFU Wellness Center has a determination to achieve sustainable healthcare, the center focuses highly on preventing disease rather than treating an illness.
Asst. Prof. Dr.Thawatchai Apidechkul, Acting Director of MFU Wellness Center, Mae Fah Luang University added that MFU Wellness Center operates its services through 3P strategy: Prediction, Prevention and Promotion, which emphasises on people who face difficulty in getting medical services. Previously, the obstacle that the center faced is providing mobile checkup and reaching out to TB patients in remote areas due to a limitation of moving medical equipment. So, this collaborative project between MFU Wellness Center and FUJIFILM supporting medical equipment, has allowed medical professionals to provide diagnosis, basic healthcare services, and proper treatment to people.
Mr. Yuto Kumagai, Assistant to Managing Director, FUJIFILM (Thailand) Ltd. stated that as a corporate that has responsibility towards the society, Fujifilm is firmly committed to solve social issues in all dimensions, especially health inequality. To solve the abovementioned issue, Fujifilm has continuously created and developed medical innovations and technologies which cover three key health aspects: Prevention, Diagnosis, and Treatment. Recognising the limitation to accessing remote areas, Fujifilm has brought the medical imaging solution, FDR Xair, to support and help alleviate medical professional burdens.
