On Thursday, 3 February 2022, Assistant Professor Jiraphat Nawarat, Dr. Charupa Lektip, School of Allied Health Sciences and the Center for Academic Services, Walailak University, hold a meeting to discuss the operational guidelines for the sustainable development of integrated health service delivery networks for the elderly and visit the serviced areas together with the staff of Chumchon Sathit Walailak Phatthana Tambon Health Promotion Hospital in Tha Sala district, Nakhon Si Thammarat.     

          The development is a project that has been operated for three years by the Center for Academic Services, Walailak University with a mission of providing academic services to develop the surrounding communities and helping in solving communal problems. The momentous project intends to improve the elderly health service delivery networks and the potential of elderly rehabilitation and health-care systems. Thus, the hospital recognizes the value of subacute care and the eHealth system, which allows consumers to easily access health services and health care providers to appropriately access and share a patient’s medical information electronically. Moreover, it operates in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being, ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for of at all ages, and SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals, establishing cooperation with relevant agencies.

          In this regard, Assistant Professor Jiraphat Nawarat, as Head of the project, outlined the guidelines for the project’s operational plan in 2022. For the previous two years, the project focused on providing physical rehabilitation services for older people in long-term care. Therefore, the Center for Academic Services has continued operating the project by strengthening the hospital’s health services. The following are the services the hospital has been developing.

     1. The process of patient referral systems between hospitals, as well as healthcare database systems.

     2. Physical therapy for patients in the subacute phase and long-term care patients, and holistic rehabilitation.

     3. Health promotion and disease prevention in the health care system.

          At the meeting, the staff of the Center for Academic Services had a chance to exchange opinions and information on the development of the healthcare database systems and patient referral systems between hospitals with Mr. Somchok Nongnual, Director of Chumchon Sathit Walailak Phatthana Tambon Health Promotion Hospital, including the authorities of the hospital.

          The authorities asserted that the hospital would stand ready to cooperate with Walailak University to enhance the sustainable care of the elderly rehabilitation services. In addition, the Center for Academic Services provided protective equipment for COVID-19 and nonprescription drugs to the elderly people in the serviced areas.