The first time Dr Boonyong Wongrukmit met His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej at a rural
hospital half a century ago, he
discovered an inexhaustible source of inspiration to work hard for the people.
“He was the King and I was just a rural doctor. But he showed up and told me that he had brought me the money I needed to expand the hospital’s capacity,” Boonyong recalled about that impactful moment.
“He told me he trusted me and permitted me to go ahead with the construction without having to go through a bureaucratic process.”
The Bt240,000 in funds came from the King’s personal pocket and fulfilled Boonyong’s hope of ensuring the hospital could deliver better services to patients – many of them soldiers injured during operations fighting communist troops.
Boonyong had earlier submitted a report asking for money to boost the hospital’s capacity to authorities. Somehow it got the King’s attention.
“When the King spoke to me like that, my heart burst with energy. I became even more committed to my duty. I am determined not to slow down even a bit,” the 83-year-old said.
After his graduation from Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine, Boonyong chose to work in the provinces to care for the less privileged. In 1964, he was posted to Nan Hospital in the border province. In the following years, he treated many soldiers wounded in missions to prevent communist troops from taking over Thailand.
Boonyong recalled that in 1967, Their Majesties the King and the Queen led a fleet of helicopters into a fighting zone dominated by
communists in Nan in the hope of rescuing an injured soldier.
Just as the doctor had heard about the King’s caring attention to
soldiers on duty and his people, the King heard about Boonyong’s hard work too. That was why the King showed up in person to grant cash to Boonyong at the hospital in 1968.
“He also instructed me to inform him when the construction was
completed. He would inaugurate the new hospital building,” the doctor recounted.
When the construction was completed, Boonyong did not have the courage to invite the King because he was not sure he could prepare a proper ceremony. But one day, a
senior palace official popped up and said the King had asked: “What about my building? Won’t they allow me to open it?”
Boonyong said on hearing that, he spent one hour preparing a reception for their Majesties the King and the Queen. The ceremony was simple but touching. The royal couple
graciously attended the inauguration ceremony in 1969, and granted Bt50,000 to patients at the hospital.
“The King was happy and smiling all the time,” Boonyong said. “He also had his picture taken with hospital staff. I am convinced that it is a
historic picture. I believe it is the first picture that their Majesties took with officials surrounding them.”
Boonyong said years later he met the King again during a working visit to Nan province. “Still active, right? Let’s stay put and work hard
together,” Boonyong quoted His Majesty as telling him.
Looking back, Boonyong said His Majesty added immeasurable meaning to his life. The much-revered monarch was the guiding light and a real example of dedication.
“While a doctor like me worked in a safe zone, he took a much riskier and more difficult route. Look at how he headed out to try to save an injured soldier in a live-bullet zone,” the retiree recounted, in reference to the royal couple’s decision to fly their helicopter into the fighting zone to rescue a second lieutenant.
Looking up to His Majesty throughout his life, Boonyong found it almost unbelievable for a human to work as hard as the King did.
“I don’t think we should complain about working hard. His Majesty never stopped working,” he said.
Inspired by the King, Boonyong decided to serve the public as best as he could. And embracing the monarch as his guiding light, Boonyong has become an inspiration for younger medical staff. At the Nan Hospital, medical staff follow the high standards he set.
They report to work on time. They do not take incentives from drug manufacturers. They work hard. They read a lot in a bid to keep
pace with modern knowledge
and technologies – that can be
used to save lives and cure some
diseases more effectively.
Boonyong also emphasised to younger doctors that they must not turn away patients. Under his leadership, Nan Hospital has never
told patients that there was no bed available for them.
“Even if all beds are full, it is necessary that they must find a way to admit the patient. Human lives are immeasurably precious,” he said.
In Boonyong’s eyes, patients are doctors’ teachers. By treating a patient, doctors learn more, he said.
Boonyong has also reminded younger medical staff of the need to do their duties to the best of their ability.
“When there is an inpatient in a critical condition in the hospital, I always stayed overnight. That way, nurses could report the patients’ condition to me every hour,” he said.
Boonyong has never left Nan since he was posted there in 1964, because he believed in the causes he pursued. He has made a good impact on the healthcare sector of this northern province, which now boasts efficient and caring services.
Dr Kanit Tantisirivit, who succeeded Boonyong as the hospital’s director in 1994 and remained in the post until he retired in 2008, said in a book marking Boonyong’s 80th birthday that: “He passed on a great heritage. Teamwork is strong. Ethics are high. Other hospitals in the same zone always said to me that Nan Hospital can deliver a really impressive performance because there’s Dr Boonyong Wongrukmit.”
Kanit’s two children are now
doctors working in Nan. And both regard Boonyong as a great role model.
Boonyong may have sacrificed career advancement but he has lived a meaningful life. Indeed, this
octogenarian is ranked on the
prestigious list of the country’s outstanding rural doctors. His alma mater, Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Medicine, has also named him an outstanding alumni.
Doctors working in Nan all say that Boonyong is their inspiration.
After his retirement 23 years ago, Boonyong continued to work at the hospital for two more decades to take care of people. “His Majesty told me, ‘Help take care of my people’,” he recounted.
Boonyong is no longer physically fit enough to work hard every day. But he has never stopped working. He now leads the Nan community in laying down concepts that will be useful for sustainable development and in line with His Majesty’s
initiatives.
“I deeply love and revere His Majesty. I am following in his footsteps,” Boonyong said.
When the official announcement of the King’s passing was made on October 13, Boonyong said he silently cried for about an hour. “I will head to Bangkok to pay respects before his royal urn one day. I always think about him. He has done so many things for Thailand and Thai people. I believe no one else can ever do this much,” Boonyong said.