Dr Sompoch Nipakanont, the 44 year old Medical Director at Bangkok Hospital Phuket has been awarded the role of honorary consul of Sweden by the Swedish Ambassador of Bangkok.

Dr Sompoch graduated from Konkaen University in 1989 and then moved to Phuket in the position of Assistant Hospital Director of Bangkok Hospital Phuket in 2004.

“I was the medical director of the hospital during the tsunami disaster in 2004, my responsibility at that time was to cooperate with the international medical teams and embassies to transfer the patients back home,” he said.

He went to Sweden one year after the disaster to present tsunami relief response training courses to four major university hospitals with the support from Swedish Red Cross.

“There were 400,000 Swedish tourists who came to Thailand last year (2008) and 60% of them chose to come to Phuket. In the tsunami disaster, there were about 500 Swedish tourists who died and considering their population is only 9,000,000 people, this was a huge loss.” he said.

In a bid to develop trust in Thai medical care, Dr Nipakanort went to Sweden to discuss with the Swedish administration about the possibilities of transferring elderly Swedish patients who have rheumatism to Phuket for treatment.

Bangkok Hospital Phuket had also received the rare royal permission to use the name of the Swedish King for the hospital’s conference room. ‘King Carl Gustaf’s Conference Room’ is the only place outside Sweden that has the royal permission to have the Swedish King’s name in an organization.

On a visit by HM King Karl Gustaf the16th and Queen Sylvia to celebrate the grand ceremony of Our Beloved King’s 60 years on the throne, Dr Nipakanort was their assigned doctor during their stay in Phuket.

Dr Nipakanort said, “I hope to continue our good relationship between Thailand, Phuket and Sweden.”

The Consulate of Sweden, Phuket Office at 25/50 Mae Luan Road, Phuket Town. 076 254 425