Today we visited Bamrasnaradura Infectious Disease Institute (BIDI) and focused on three major discussion points; tuberculosis (TB), HIV, and roles of the pharmacist. What surprised me most was how directly involved Thai pharmacists are in patient care and how similar their roles overlap with pharmacists in the United States. This institute currently staffs 16 pharmacists and has been instrumental in the treatment of both TB and HIV because they were the first establishment in Thailand to incorporate negative pressure rooms for inpatients. The picture below is Michael C. and Lindsey T. demonstrating how to properly use personal protective equipment before entering these negative pressure rooms.
Something I found very interesting was that for qualifying patients, the hospital offers "transportation allowance" in which they will fund an individual/family up to 400 baht to encourage them to adhere to TB treatment regimens and pay for travel expenses to the hospital. One again the students were treated with nothing but the utmost hospitality from the entire staff and were continuously offered snacks and refreshments!
All The Best,
Travis Frost
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