Education of Global Medical and Health Science Leaders in the Coming
Generation in Cooperation and Collaboration with ASEAN
Period: September 2-26, 2013
Place: Chiang Mai University
Kana Nojirino
Faculty of Health Sciences, Kobe University
I have stayed in Chiang Mai for four weeks to study nursing. I studied nursing
education, Medical Intensive Care Unit, Orthopedic nursing, Pediatric nursing,Community nursing, Maternal Care and Traditional Medicine. And I conducted mygraduation research in private hospital. I had many opportunity to learn aboutnursing care and study visiting. In addition, I visited various places in Chiang Mai
on the weekend and understood Thai culture and lifestyle in Thailand.
・Nursing education
I heard about nursing education and thought that nursing education in Thailand isputting a great deal of effort into enhancing the quality of nurse. There are threereasons I thought so. The first reason is that every nurse studied at 4 year
university. In Japan, we can be a nurse if we study at 3 year nursing special school.
But in this case, we don’t receive general education. I think every nurse needs toreceive general education to understand every patient holistically. So I think thesystem that every nurse needs to study at 4 year university leads to enhancing thequality of nurse. The second reason is that every nurse has midwife license. InJapan, we have to take a special course to be a midwife. So I think Thai nurses havehigh specialties. The third reason is that nurse has to renew its own nursing license
every 5 year. In Japan, we don’t have to renew. But nurse should study at all time.
So I think that it is good to give every nurse an opportunity to study every five year.
・Nursing care
What I was most surprised by study visiting in hospital was that hospital period isshorter than in Japan. In Thailand, TKA patients stay hospital for only 7 days. InJapan, TKA patients stay hospital for 3 weeks because of rehabilitation. I think theshort of stay related to the number of patients. Many patients visit to Chiang Mai
Hospital every day. I think there are two reasons. First reason is the number ofhospital where conduct the difficult treatment less. Especially, there is a treatmentthat cannot be conducted only at the university hospital in northern Thailand. So
not only Thai patients but also patients coming from countries adjacent to thenorthern part of Thailand, such as Laos and Myanmar come to this hospital. Second
reason is the system of medical insurance in Thailand. The cost of medical
treatment is different public hospital and private hospital. In Japan, not difference.
So many patient visit to public hospital seeking cheap treatment. We must increase
the rotation rate of the bed to accept many patients in hospital which such manypatients visit.

・What we should learn from Thailand
I think there are many thing to be learned from Thailand through a four-week stayin Thailand. There are three points I’m interested and think we should learn.
The first point is that nursing care for a HIV/AIDS patient. Thailand is the country
which is famous for what was able to stop increase in number of the HIV infected
people quickly, but it is the present conditions that the infection rate isincomparably high with Japan. Therefore the nursing to a HIV/AIDS patientbecomes very important. And nurses need knowledge and technique of the nursing
for a HIV/AIDS patient. In Japan, the number of HIV/AIDS patients is increasing
now. We don’t know much about nursing necessary for a HIV/AIDS patient and how
to stop increase in number of HIV infected people effectively. So I think we should
learn about nursing and activities. The second point is nursing for the tropicaldisease. In Thailand there are various tropical disease. The most famous tropicaldisease in Thailand is dengue fever. I learned nursing to prevent from infection ofthe dengue fever. In late years, the risk that tropical disease spreads over in Japanis suggested because global warming advances. But we don’t know how to nurse theinfected people with tropical diseases and prevent from them. I think that it is toolate to learn after spreading over. So I think we should learn right now. The third
point is that nursing for people with a different language. Many foreign peoples livein Thailand and come to Thailand as medical tourism. In addition, there are manykinds of Thai. That is to say, every Thai do not use the same language. So even if itwas the same Thai, they may not be able to understand each other. I think that thehealth uneasiness is very big for people living in a foreign country and in otherplace. And they probably worry about the difference in language, in medical system
and in culture. So I think we have to relieve their uneasiness when we nurse foreignpeople.
We had few opportunities to nurse people who has the different language so far
because Japan is an island. Therefore I do not know how we should nurse them. But
now, many foreign people comes to Japan with globalization for tourism, business,immigration and so on. And the need of nursing for foreign people becomes higher. SoI think we should learn about nursing for foreign people and medical system inThailand to nurse people who has the different language. The above is to learn fromThailand which I
think about.

I learned many thing during a four-week stay.
At the beginning, I paid attention to difference between Japan and Thailand anddidn’t think why the difference was occurred. But I understood gradually why thedifference was occurred to know Thai national character, life-style, environment,culture and so on through practice and life in Thailand. I think it’s because I became
to see things not from the position of Japanese but from the position of people wholives in Thailand. So I think that it is necessary to understand the background of
the country first of all to give international nursing. To do that, it is necessary for us
to really go to the country and live there and interact with people who lives there.