PAT donates THB 36m for cancer unit in honour of King’s 72nd birthday

On May 16, 2024, Manaporn Charoensri, Deputy Minister of Transport, presided over the ceremony to donate 36.7 million baht to support the project for procuring the mobile gynaecological cancer screening unit. Somyos Deerasamee, President of the Kanchanabaramee Foundation, accepted the donation. 

The PAT continues to uphold the royal initiatives of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn by donating funds to the project for procuring a mobile gynaecological cancer screening unit for the Kanchanabaramee Foundation. 

This project is one of the nine commemorative projects by the Ministry of Transport on behalf of the government. It aims to provide early-stage gynaecological cancer screening for women in remote and underprivileged areas, in honour and as a royal merit-making dedication to His Majesty the King on the auspicious occasion of His Majesty's 72nd birthday on July 28, 2024.

“PAT feels deeply grateful for His Majesty’s kindness and is immensely proud to be part of this project to continue the royal aspirations of His Majesty King Maha Vajiralongkorn, who cares deeply for the Thai people," Manaporn said.

The deputy minister stated that the initiative significantly increased the survival chances for many underprivileged Thai women. The screening unit will help approximately 44,000 women at risk and underprivileged annually in rural areas. 

"Detecting abnormalities early can reduce the chance of cancer development by up to 100%. PAT hopes this project will increase survival rates and provide timely treatment opportunities, reducing disparities in access to healthcare services,” she said.

The mobile medical units will provide early-stage screening for women in remote and underprivileged areas who are at risk of reproductive organ cancers such as cervical cancer, vaginal cancer, uterine cancer, and ovarian cancer. These are highly dangerous and the second most common cancers after breast cancer. 

The services within the mobile unit include not only gynecological cancer screenings but also HPV vaccinations for target groups aged 12-15 years and self-examination training for cervical cancer.

The mobile unit will operate one district per day nationwide, serving approximately 200-250 people per day with modern and highly efficient equipment, including colposcopes, 3-chip full HD video systems, and high-frequency radio wave cervical cutting devices, all free of charge. 

Any detected abnormalities will be referred for treatment under the national health insurance system in Ministry of Public Health hospitals.

The project builds on PAT’s previous support of 33,000,000 baht for the Kanchanabaramee Foundation to procure a high-efficiency mobile mammography unit on the occasion of PAT’s 70th anniversary. 

The ceremony at the PAT Arena gymnasium building was also attended by Chayatan Phromsorn, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transport of Thailand, the Chairman of the PAT Board of Commissioners, along with Kriengkrai Chaisiriwongsuk, director general of the PAT. 

Also in attendance were PAT executives, ministry officials, representatives from the public and private sectors, PAT employees, and members of the media.