In 2021, Bumrungrad International Hospital supported the Thai government by administering COVID-19 vaccines to the public free of charge. A total of 60,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were allocated to the hospital.
During that time, COVID-19 vaccine recipients at the hospital were asked to make donations to the Bumrungrad Hospital Foundation. The funds received were allocated to both Rak Jai Thai, a charity project that provides surgeries to underprivileged children with congenital heart defects, and towards purchasing medical equipment for underfunded hospitals that were desperately in need of equipment to treat patients with COVID-19 or other respiratory diseases. A total of 280,151 baht was raised through the donations.
The Bumrungrad Hospital Foundation dedicated part of the donations to support a project by the King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang Foundation, known as “Giving for Breathing.” The goal of the project was to produce high flow oxygen therapy machines and supply them to hospitals lacking the equipment.
During this time, Thanyaburi Hospital in Pathum Thani province was increasingly admitting patients for COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases, so they had to increase their capacity of 60 beds to 90 beds. Along with this came the increased demand for more ventilators.
So, on November 24, 2022, the Bumrungrad Hospital Foundation purchased and donated four high flow oxygen therapy machines to Thanyaburi Hospital. The total cost for the machines amounted to 220,000 baht, 55,000 baht per unit.
Dr. Somboon Jermpak, Deputy Director of Thanyaburi Hospital, accepted the machines on the hospital’s behalf.