Link: https://youtu.be/KiVaGK2RSpk
The COVID-19 pandemic is affecting people’s lives around the world. Thai society is also affected and putting full efforts into fighting against the pandemic, which has led to a shortage of necessary medical supplies and equipment. As the Honda Khiang Khang Thai Fund (HKKT), under the Honda Thailand Foundation, is here to stay and ready to help Thais fight against COVID-19, it understands the importance of protecting the public health system as well as ensuring the safety of the medical staff helping patients who have been diagnosed with COVID-19. The HKKT Fund has worked in cooperation with Vajira Hospital to determine the best way to adapt Honda’s skills and expertise to produce 100 negative pressure mobile beds that will be distributed to over 90 hospitals across Thailand. The HKKT Fund will also provide another 10 Honda Motorlances (Motorcycle Modified for Emergency Rescue) as part of its relief efforts.
HKKT Fund Sets Up a Dedicated Team to Produce Mobile Beds and Provides 10 Additional Honda Motorlances (Motorcycle Modified for Emergency Rescue)
Mr. Pitak Pruittisarikorn, Managing Director of the HKKT Fund, said, “Honda is ready to stand with Thai people in any situation. We have set up a dedicated team to develop the negative pressure mobile beds so there is no waiting for the much-needed imported equipment. Production is taking place at our plant in Ayutthaya province by volunteer associates from the assembly line, which has been suspended temporarily, with the close cooperation of and quality control by the Faculty of Medicine, Vajira Hospital, Navamindradhiraj University. The mobile beds have been tested, approved, and started production, and we expect to gradually deliver all of them to over 90 hospitals around the country by early May 2020. The HKKT Fund will also put 10 motorlances (Motorcycle Modified for Emergency Rescue) into service. As they are modified CBR250R motorcycles that offer high performance and versatility, the motorlances are well suited for congested areas and narrow lanes to better access and transport COVID-19 patients.”
Negative Pressure Mobile Beds: Short in Supply and High Cost
Asst. Prof. Dr. Anusaeng Chitsomkasem, Associate Dean, Faculty of Medicine, Vajira Hospital, Navamindradhiraj University, said, “In light of the COVID-19 outbreak in Thailand, the university tried to develop a negative pressure mobile bed to make up for the limited number available in the country while meeting increasing demand. The cost of an imported mobile bed is as high as 500,000 to one million baht each. These mobile beds make transporting patients safe for everyone. Honda has improved the pressure adjustment and small droplet filtering systems of the original model, and the mobile bed can also accommodate the necessary oxygen tank. Tests by medical professionals yielded satisfactory results. Therefore I’d like to thank the Honda team and am grateful that they will distribute these mobile beds to hospitals around Thailand. After this situation is over, the mobile beds can be used for patients with tuberculosis and other respiratory diseases.”
Progress of HKKT’s Negative Pressure Mobile Bed production
Mr. Wallop Luangseenak, Administration Assistant General Manager, representing the volunteer engineering team from Honda Automobile (Thailand) Co., Ltd., explained, “Our team enhanced Vajira Hospital’s original version of the negative pressure mobile bed. The improved version can pump out and filter air using a more efficient pressure adjustment system, with the air pressure controlled so it goes no lower than -20 pascal (newton per meter or N/m2) to prevent cross-contamination. The new HEPA Filter (High-efficiency Particulate Air Filter) can filter out 0.3 micron particles at 99.9% efficiency. We have improved the box so it is more compact and created more space so the oxygen tank can fit in. Our team is proud that we can adapt our automotive assembly skills to produce these negative pressure mobile beds. They will help to reduce the spread of COVID-19 while enhancing safety for the medical staff who are taking care of patients in the high-risk group. We will gradually complete delivery of the 100 beds by early May 2020.”
Details of the medical equipment provided by the HKKT Fund To help fight against COVID-19, the HKKT Fund is providing medical equipment worth over 40 million baht as follows:
HKKT ambulances: 10 Honda StepWGN vehicles modified with the cooperation of the National Institute for Emergency Medicine.Motorlances: 10 Honda CBR250R motorcycles modified to provide versatile rescue and transport of COVID-19 patients.Negative Pressure Mobile Beds: 100 units produced by volunteer production associates of Honda Automobile (Thailand) Co., Ltd.Face Shields: 1,000 units produced by volunteer associates of Thai Honda Manufacturing Co., Ltd. and A.P. Honda Co., Ltd.Personal Protective Equipment Suits (PPE Suits): 10,000 sets for frontline medical staff responsible for COVID-19 patients.Face Masks: 100,000 units purchased from the Department of Corrections to distribute in communities near the hospitals.
All of Honda’s customers are a crucial part of this contribution, as the 40-million-baht budget provided by the HKKT Fund is generated from the sale of cars, motorcycles, and power products. The effort reinforces the HKKT Fund’s strong commitment to stand with Thai people and provide a wide range of support to help deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. Honda will continue to make contributions and adhere to its purpose of creating value and being an organization that Thai society wants to exist.
About the Honda Khiang Khang Thai Fund
The Honda Group of Companies in Thailand jointly set up the Honda Khiang Khang Thai Fund (HKKT Fund) under the Honda Thailand Foundation on March 31, 2012. The Fund’s objective is to provide assistance to Thais who are affected by natural disasters such as floods, landslides, severely cold temperatures, and droughts, as well as to initiate various related activities. Honda contributes 1,000 baht to the Fund for every Honda car sold, 100 baht for every Honda motorcycle sold, and 10 baht for every Honda power product sold. The total fund as at August 2019 was one billion baht. The Fund has undertaken activities in four major areas that are beneficial for people affected by natural disasters, including: 1) Providing funds; 2) Contributing materials; 3) Building a collaborative network; and 4) Enhancing knowledge for responding to natural disasters. Over the past eight years, the HKKT has provided 335 million baht in support to Thai people nationwide.
