Siriraj Hospital ( th, โรงพยาบาลศิริราช; ) is the oldest and largest hospital in Thailand. It is in
Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...
on the west bank of the
Chao Phraya River
The Chao Phraya ( or ; th, แม่น้ำเจ้าพระยา, , or ) is the major river in Thailand, with its low alluvial plain forming the centre of the country. It flows through Bangkok and then into the Gulf of Thailand.
...
, opposite
Thammasat University
Thammasat University ( Abrv: TU th, มธ.; th, มหาวิทยาลัยธรรมศาสตร์, , ) is a public research university in Thailand with campuses in Tha Phra Chan area of Phra Nakhon District near the Grand Pala ...
's Tha Phrachan campus. It is the primary teaching hospital of the
Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University
Faculty may refer to:
* Faculty (academic staff), the academic staff of a university (North American usage)
* Faculty (division), a division within a university (usage outside of the United States)
* Faculty (instrument), an instrument or warrant ...
.
Description
With a capacity of more than 2,000 beds and visited by more than three million patients per year Siriraj is one of the largest and busiest medical centers in
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, also spelled South East Asia and South-East Asia, and also known as Southeastern Asia, South-eastern Asia or SEA, is the geographical south-eastern region of Asia, consisting of the regions that are situated south of mainland ...
. The medical school accepts about 250 medical students and more than 100 for postgraduate residency training each year. Siriraj is the largest public hospital in Thailand. Thanks to its excellent reputation, its tertiary care unit is the referral center for all hospitals in Thailand.
The logo of the Siriraj Hospital is the
Naga
Naga or NAGA may refer to:
Mythology
* Nāga, a serpentine deity or race in Hindu, Buddhist and Jain traditions
* Naga Kingdom, in the epic ''Mahabharata''
* Phaya Naga, mythical creatures believed to live in the Laotian stretch of the Mekong Ri ...
curled into a shape of "ศ" (pronounce as "Sor-Sala"), the first Thai alphabet of the hospital name with the Royal Diadem on top of the Naga.
History
The hospital was founded by
King Chulalongkorn
Chulalongkorn ( th, จุฬาลงกรณ์, 20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910) was the fifth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, titled Rama V. He was known to the Siamese of his time as ''Phra Phuttha Chao Luang'' (พร� ...
in 1888, two years after a worldwide
cholera
Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium '' Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting an ...
outbreak. It is named after the king's 18-month-old son, Prince
Siriraj Kakudhabhand
Prince Siriraj Kakudhabhand ( th, ศิริราชกกุธภัณฑ์; ; 27 November 1885 – 31 May 1887) was the Prince of Siam (later Thailand). He was a member of the Siamese royal family and was the son of King Chulalongkorn an ...
, who had died from
dysentery
Dysentery (UK pronunciation: , US: ), historically known as the bloody flux, is a type of gastroenteritis that results in bloody diarrhea. Other symptoms may include fever, abdominal pain, and a feeling of incomplete defecation. Complications ...
a year before the opening of the hospital. The medical school was established two years later in 1890.
Prince
Dipangkorn Rasmijoti was also born here.
Siriraj was the residence of the late King of Thailand,
Bhumibol Adulyadej
Bhumibol Adulyadej ( th, ภูมิพลอดุลยเดช; ; ; ( Sanskrit: ''bhūmi·bala atulya·teja'' - "might of the land, unparalleled brilliance"); 5 December 192713 October 2016), conferred with the title King Bhumibol the Grea ...
, from September 2009 to August 2013. He entered the hospital for treatment of a respiratory condition. In October 2014 King Bhumibol had gall bladder surgery at Siriraj. He died there on 13 October 2016.
Museums
There are seven medical museums at Siriraj Hospital. They are the Siriraj Bimuksthan Museum, Ellis Pathological Museum, Congdons Anatomical Museum, Songkran Niyomsan Forensic Medicine Museum, Parasitological Museum, Touch Museum in Honor of Queen Mother Sirikit, and Sood Sangvichien Prehistoric Museum Laboratory. The permanent exhibits include sections on
anatomy
Anatomy () is the branch of biology concerned with the study of the structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old science, having i ...
,
pathology
Pathology is the study of the causes and effects of disease or injury. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in ...
,
congenital disorder
A birth defect, also known as a congenital disorder, is an abnormal condition that is present at birth regardless of its cause. Birth defects may result in disabilities that may be physical, intellectual, or developmental. The disabilities c ...
s,
toxicology
Toxicology is a scientific discipline, overlapping with biology, chemistry, pharmacology, and medicine, that involves the study of the adverse effects of chemical substances on living organisms and the practice of diagnosing and treating e ...
, techniques of
Thai traditional medicine
Traditional Thai medicine is a system of methods and practices, such as herbal medicine, bodywork practices, and spiritual healing that is indigenous to the region currently known as Thailand. While not all Buddhist medicine is Thai, Thai medicine ...
, and
forensic pathology.
In 2008, the temporary exhibit featured the role of Siriraj Hospital. The latest museum is Siriraj Bimuksthan Museum, opened in early 2013. The museum is housed in the renovated vintage architecture of the old
Bangkok Noi railway station
The old Thonburi station ( th, สถานีธนบุรีเดิม, ), originally known as Bangkok Noi station ( th, สถานีบางกอกน้อย), is a former railway station in Bangkok, Thailand. It was the terminu ...
, next to Siriraj's newly opened private subsidiary
Siriraj Piyamaharajkarun Hospital
Siriraj Piyamaharajkarun Hospital (SiPH) () is a hospital operated by the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital of Mahidol University. It is located in Bangkok on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River, adjacent to Siriraj Hospital and opposite Tha ...
. The museum exhibits history of medicine in Thailand from traditional medicine to modern, and includes history of the Bangkok Noi area where the museum and the hospital are situated.
See also
*
Siriraj Piyamaharajkarun Hospital
Siriraj Piyamaharajkarun Hospital (SiPH) () is a hospital operated by the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital of Mahidol University. It is located in Bangkok on the west bank of the Chao Phraya River, adjacent to Siriraj Hospital and opposite Tha ...
*
Health in Thailand
Thailand has had "a long and successful history of health development," according to the World Health Organization. Life expectancy is averaged at seventy years. Non-communicable diseases form the major burden of morbidity and mortality, while ...
*
Hospitals in Thailand
Hospitals in Thailand are operated by both the public and private sector, to provide medical services for prevention, cure and rehabilitation of patients with medical and health-related conditions. The majority are operated by the Ministry of Pu ...
*
List of hospitals in Thailand
This is a comprehensive list of hospitals in Thailand. The list is sorted with Bangkok at the top, and then in the alphabetical order of the provinces.
Public Hospitals
Ministry of Public Health
Office of the Permanent Secretary
As of 20 ...
*
List of hospitals in Bangkok
This is a comprehensive list of hospitals in Thailand. The list is sorted with Bangkok at the top, and then in the alphabetical order of the provinces.
Public Hospitals
Ministry of Public Health
Office of the Permanent Secretary
As of 20 ...
References
*
External links
Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University WebsiteRamathibodi Hospital Faculty of Medicine the younger sister medical school o
Mahidol University
{{Authority control
Mahidol University
Hospitals in Bangkok
Teaching hospitals in Thailand
Hospitals established in 1888
Bangkok Noi district
Hospitals in Thailand
Buildings and structures on the Chao Phraya River
de:Siriraj Medizinische Fakultät und Krankenhaus, Mahidol Universität