King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital (KCMH, ; ) is a public
general
A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry.
In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...
and
tertiary referral hospital in
Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, 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 estim ...
,
Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
. It is operated by the
Thai Red Cross Society, and serves as the
teaching hospital
A teaching hospital or university hospital is a hospital or medical center that provides medical education and training to future and current health professionals. Teaching hospitals are almost always affiliated with one or more universities a ...
for the
Faculty of Medicine
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, professional school, or forms a part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, ...
,
Chulalongkorn University
Chulalongkorn University (CU; ; , ) is a public university, public Autonomous university, autonomous research university in Bangkok, Thailand. The university was originally founded during King Chulalongkorn's reign as a school for training ro ...
and
Srisavarindhira Thai Red Cross Institute of Nursing. With an in-patient capacity of 1,435 beds, it is one of the largest hospitals in Thailand, and as one of Thailand's leading medical school affiliates, is widely considered one of the best public hospitals in the country, along with
Siriraj Hospital and
Ramathibodi Hospital.
History
The founding of the hospital was first proposed by King
Vajiravudh
Vajiravudh (1 January 188126 November 1925) was the sixth Monarchy of Thailand, king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama VI. He reigned from 1910 until his death in 1925. King Vajiravudh is best known for his efforts to create and pro ...
, who, having observed the operations of the Red Cross Hospital of Japan during his travels, thought it beneficial to establish a hospital in the service of the Red Cross (then the Red Unalom Society). The hospital, named in honour of King
Chulalongkorn
Chulalongkorn (20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910), posthumously honoured as King Chulalongkorn the Great, was the fifth king of Siam from the Chakri dynasty, titled Rama V. Chulalongkorn's reign from 1868 until his death in 1910 was cha ...
, was founded through donations by King Vajiravudh and his brothers and sisters, together with the society's funds. The hospital was opened by King Vajiravudh on 30 May 1914.
King
Ananda Mahidol aimed to increase
physician
A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...
in Thailand because at that time Thailand is under post–World War II period. Government of Thailand intentionally tried to find another hospital which is ready to be the second medical school of Thailand and finally they should King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital of the
Thai Red Cross Society. On 4 June 1947, Affiliation with
Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University was established.
The hospital was damaged during the
2025 Myanmar earthquake.
Facilities
Today, the hospital provides general and specialized medical services through its
dentistry
Dentistry, also known as dental medicine and oral medicine, is the branch of medicine focused on the Human tooth, teeth, gums, and Human mouth, mouth. It consists of the study, diagnosis, prevention, management, and treatment of diseases, dis ...
,
forensic medicine
Forensic medicine is a broad term used to describe a group of medical specialties which deal with the examination and diagnosis of individuals who have been injured by or who have died because of external or unnatural causes such as poisoning, assa ...
,
internal medicine
Internal medicine, also known as general medicine in Commonwealth nations, is a medical specialty for medical doctors focused on the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases in adults. Its namesake stems from "treatment of diseases of ...
,
orthopedics
Orthopedic surgery or orthopedics (American and British English spelling differences, alternative spelling orthopaedics) is the branch of surgery concerned with conditions involving the musculoskeletal system. Orthopedic surgeons use both surgic ...
,
pediatrics
Pediatrics (American English) also spelled paediatrics (British English), is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, Adolescence, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, pediatrics covers many o ...
,
preventive medicine
Preventive healthcare, or prophylaxis, is the application of healthcare measures to prevent diseases.Hugh R. Leavell and E. Gurney Clark as "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting physical and mental health a ...
,
psychiatry
Psychiatry is the medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of deleterious mental disorder, mental conditions. These include matters related to cognition, perceptions, Mood (psychology), mood, emotion, and behavior.
...
,
obstetrics and gynecology
Obstetrics and gynaecology (also spelled as obstetrics and gynecology; abbreviated as Obst and Gynae, O&G, OB-GYN and OB/GYN) is the medical specialty that encompasses the two subspecialties of obstetrics (covering pregnancy, childbirth, and t ...
,
ophthalmology
Ophthalmology (, ) is the branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis, treatment, and surgery of eye diseases and disorders.
An ophthalmologist is a physician who undergoes subspecialty training in medical and surgical eye care. Following a ...
,
otolaryngology
Otorhinolaryngology ( , abbreviated ORL and also known as otolaryngology, otolaryngology–head and neck surgery (ORL–H&N or OHNS), or ear, nose, and throat (ENT)) is a surgical subspecialty within medicine that deals with the surgical an ...
,
radiology
Radiology ( ) is the medical specialty that uses medical imaging to diagnose diseases and guide treatment within the bodies of humans and other animals. It began with radiography (which is why its name has a root referring to radiation), but tod ...
and
surgery
Surgery is a medical specialty that uses manual and instrumental techniques to diagnose or treat pathological conditions (e.g., trauma, disease, injury, malignancy), to alter bodily functions (e.g., malabsorption created by bariatric surgery s ...
clinics. It also operates five specialized medical service centers, namely: Cardiac Center,
Glaucoma
Glaucoma is a group of eye diseases that can lead to damage of the optic nerve. The optic nerve transmits visual information from the eye to the brain. Glaucoma may cause vision loss if left untreated. It has been called the "silent thief of ...
Imaging & Diagnostic Center,
Excimer Laser Center, Chulalongkorn
Craniofacial
Craniofacial surgery is a surgical subspecialty that deals with congenital and acquired deformities of the head, skull, face, neck, jaws and associated structures. Although craniofacial treatment often involves manipulation of bone, craniofacial ...
Center, and the Queen Sirikit Center for
Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...
. It serves as the office of many
WHO Collaborating Centres in Thailand.
["WHOCC - WHO Collaborating Centres." WHOCC - WHO Collaborating Centres. Accessed March 31, 2017. http://apps.who.int/whocc/Detail.aspx?cc_ref=THA-57&cc_city=bangkok&.]
In 2007, ground was broken for the hospital's Bhumisirimangkalanusorn Building — claimed to be the largest medical hub in
ASEAN
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations,
commonly abbreviated as ASEAN, is a regional grouping of 10 states in Southeast Asia "that aims to promote economic and security cooperation among its ten members." Together, its member states r ...
— is a 12.5-billion
baht
The baht (; , ; currency sign, sign: ฿; ISO 4217, code: THB) is the official currency of Thailand. It is divided into 100 ''satang'' (, ). Prior to decimalisation, the baht was divided into eight ''fueang'' (, ), each of eight ''at'' (, ). The ...
(US$376 million) 29-storey facility. It was jointly financed by the state and the Thai Red Cross Society. The new addition opened on a partial basis in 2016 and is due to be fully inaugurated by the end of 2017. It has over 1,250 beds. Fully operational, it will house over 1,600 physicians and 2,100 nurses.
File:AdminbuildKCMH.JPG,
File:KCMHatsuanlum.jpg,
File:MDCUbu.JPG,
File:KingChulalongkornMemorialHospital FirstBuilding and BhumisiriMangkhalanusornBuilding in October 2017.jpg, The historic Administration Building, with the Bhumisirimangkalanusorn and Sor Kor buildings in the background
See also
*
List of structures and infrastructure affected by the 2025 Myanmar earthquake
*
Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University
*
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 Pub ...
*
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 2024, ...
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Hospital buildings completed in 1914
Hospitals in Bangkok
Teaching hospitals in Thailand
Hospitals established in 1914
Pathum Wan district
Monuments and memorials to Chulalongkorn
Thai Red Cross Society