Thai visitors impressed with UNE's medical teaching facilities

February 22, 2008

A group of 30 Thai health workers visited the University of New England this week to tour the university's newly opened Rural Medical School and visit local health facilities.

The group - which included hospital directors, doctors, university lecturers and government officials - met with a range of UNE staff during their visit, including the Vice-Chancellor, PVC Dean of the Professions, and the Heads of the Schools of Health and Rural Medicine. They also attended presentations in Tamworth by representatives from the Hunter New England Health Service and the North West Slopes Division of General Practice.

Several of the visitors were from Naresuan University in Phitsanulok, Thailand, an institution with which UNE already enjoys strong links, including a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the two universities in Thailand last year.

Boonchob Pongpanich, a Professor of Medicine at Mahidol University and former advisor to the President of Naresuan University, said he had been very impressed with the facilities at UNE's new medical school, which he said had been put in place in a surprisingly short timeframe.

Prof Boonchob said he hoped the visit would lead to further collaboration, not only between UNE and Naresuan University, but other Thai institutions as well.

"There are a lot of opportunities for exchanging both instructors and students at the undergraduate and postgraduate level between our two countries," he said.

In an address to the Thai group, Prof John Fraser - Head of the School of Rural Medicine at UNE - said that Australia and Thailand faced many of the same health care challenges.

"We both face ageing populations, higher morbidity rates in rural areas, and a shortage of rural medical health personnel," Prof Fraser said. "In both countries, we are also trying to increasingly shift our emphasis from treatment to prevention."

"I feel confident that over time we can foster collaboration between our two countries in research and staff exchanges that will help us deal with these shared challenges," he said.

The group flies home to Thailand today.

Posted by Leon Braun at February 22, 2008 03:21 PM