Food for Thought

Here's some major food for thought for those following this blog back in the states; the average wage of a Thai resident is 300 baht a day. Currently, the conversion rate for United States currency to Baht is 1:32. After a little math, you come to find that the average resident here brings in just over $9 a day to feed their families, pay living expenses, and cover health care costs. Luckily most basic care in Thailand is free of charge due to their national coverage program, however there are many people working and living here that do not qualify for national coverage due to their heritage and full coverage comes with its own trade offs even if you qualify.

A major issue facing the Thai health system is the immense overcrowding of hospitals and lack of access to low income communities. Due to the fact that coverage for most residents is free, emergency rooms and clinics are overrun with patients with every ailment from a skin rash to heart attacks. The wait to see a doctor in Thailand could be 12-24 hours and the average physician has less than 4 minutes allotted for each patient visit. One way that pharmacists have stepped up to combat these issues is by conducting home visits in the poorer parts of Bangkok to build relationships with residents so they have a trusted health professional to approach with health problems and questions before spending hours in a clinic or hospital. Through this process, pharmacists have been able to catch chronic disease progression in early stages keep patients out of hospitals and clinics through their own prescriptive authority and care. Above is a picture from a series of house visits we did with local pharmacy students here in Bangkok. As an outsider, I was blown away with the hospitality and genuine openness of these residents who let us come into their homes and learn about how they live and how they take care of themselves. Too often I get caught up in the grind and fast lifestyle back home, these visits served as a great grounding point for me. No matter how bad you think your life is or how little you think you have, I can certainly say there are people with much bigger struggles and obstacles who find happiness and humility that many would give anything for.

-Justin R.