On 26 September 2022, Miss Acharapan Yavaprapas, Consul-General of Thailand in Kolkata participated in the handover ceremony of medical equipment contribution to the District Hospital Darjeeling, State of West Bengal. Shri Amar Singh Rai, Chairperson of North Bengal Development Agency and Chairperson of District Hospital Darjeeling Patient Welfare Committee, Shri Dr. Subhasis Chanda, Superintendent, District Hospital Darjeeling, and other esteemed members of the Hospital, including Thai monks from Wat Thairachaduta 609, the Thai temple in Darjeeling were present at the ceremony. The contribution was done under the project entitled ‘The Royal Thai Government’s Initiative to Promote Public Health Capacities in Eastern India’.

In her remarks, Consul-General highlighted the importance of Darjeeling as a renowned education destination for Thai people and there were around 300 Thai students in Darjeeling in each academic year before COVID-19 Pandemic. The Consulate-General also invited doctors and nurses to visit Darjeeling occasionally to perform general health check for Thai students. She also underscored Thailand’s emphasis on public health as evident in the commemoration of ‘Prince Mahidol Day’ on 24 September every year to mark the passing of His Royal Highness Prince Mahidol of Songkla, father of Thai modern medicine and public health, and the creation of ‘Prince Mahidol Award’ to be conferred upon Thai and foreign individuals or institutions in recognition of their outstanding contributions to the advancement of medicine and public health for humanity. In 2006, Dr. Dilip Mahalanabis, an Indian pediatrician was conferred the Award for pioneering the use of oral rehydration therapy to treat diarrheal diseases. 

Moreover, she emphasised extensive mutual assistance between Thailand and India to address the challenges of COVID-19 Pandemic, in which both countries have been providing one another with oxygen concentrators and vaccines in time of great need. At the end of ceremony, she handed over to the District Hospital Darjeeling 1 dental X-Ray machine (which was the first dental X-Ray machine to be installed at the Hospital), 3 pulse oximeters, 2 oxygen concentrators, 3 electric breast pumps, and 1 automatic clothes drier machine.   

This project is carried out on the auspicious occasion of the 75th Anniversary of the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations between Thailand and India in 2022. The project aims to benefit both local community, Thai students in Darjeeling, and Thai monks from Wat Thairachduta 609 which serves as a focal point of contact for looking after Thai students’ welfares, as well as to promote goodwill and friendship between peoples of both countries.