Fujifilm Business Innovation Thailand Foundation, an organization with a mission to support research, human resource development, and partnerships with non-profit organizations to contribute to society, forges ahead to help create a better society and improve the quality of lives of those in the community by utilizing its patented state-of-the-art innovations. The continued social contribution of the Foundation is in line with Fujifilm Group’s philosophy to build a healthier society for Thais through equal access to healthcare. The Foundation donated portable ultrasound and x-ray equipment with a total value of 5,600,000 Thai Baht to The Princess Mother’s Medical Volunteer Foundation (PMMV) to support PMMV’s medical volunteers in their missions to provide healthcare services for those living in rural areas with inadequate access to healthcare. The donated equipment will allow medical workers to treat more patients in hard-to-reach areas to build a more sustainable and healthier world.
Mr. Masaaki Yanagiya, President of Fujifilm Business Innovation Thailand Foundation and President of FUJIFILM Business Innovation (Thailand) Co., Ltd., said, “FUJIFILM Business Innovation (Thailand) commits to utilizing our expertise to innovate and develop businesses, ranging from software to printing solutions. Our corporate philosophy focuses on sustainable social development by enhancing the lives of people. Staying true to our vision, the company founded the Foundation 27 years ago with the aim to partner with other organizations to create greater good together.”
“The Foundation realizes the importance of equal access to healthcare, which is the fundamental right of all citizens. We found that some venerable communities still face challenges accessing healthcare. Moreover, the lack of medical equipment also poses a problem for Thailand’s healthcare system. We believe that health equipment can improve the efficiency of medical workers, leading to more people having access to healthcare.”
“With that in mind, we supported medical equipment for The Princess Mother’s Medical Volunteer Foundation (PMMV). The PMMV works to recruit and allocate volunteer doctors and medical workers from in and outside of Bangkok to treat and prevent illnesses as well as promote health among local residents and officers working in the rural or border communities. These groups of people do not have access to healthcare. Therefore, our support aims to lift the spirits of the volunteer medical frontliners as they work hard to provide healthcare for these people. Ultimately, we want to promote well-being among people of all ages and genders, with the hope to create more equal access to health services that everyone deserves,” added Mr. Masaaki Yanagiya.
Dr. Yooth Bodharamik, Secretary-General of the Princess Mother’s Medical Volunteer Foundation (PMMV), said “The PMMV currently operates in 63 provinces with over 200,000 volunteers working to take care of those in the less fortunate communities. Our transportation needs are supported by Royal Thai Army, Royal Thai Navy, Royal Thai Air Force, and Royal Thai Police in the areas, allowing us to provide health services to those in rural communities. Over the past 54 years, the PMMV has provided care for over 20 million residents and officers.
“During many visits of the mobile medical units, one of the main challenges is that we cannot travel to some areas carrying large medical equipment. Due to the mountainous and rocky terrain as well as narrow roads, it is difficult to bring important equipment such as patient beds, ultrasound, or x-ray equipment to these communities. However, the aforementioned machines are essential for on-site screenings before taking the sick to the hospital. The advanced ultrasound and x-ray equipment provided by Fujifilm Business Innovation Thailand Foundation are portable and lightweight systems, which are perfect for supporting outreach medical screenings in hard-to-reach areas. We aim to utilize the donated equipment during our next volunteer trip to Chiang Mai’s Omkoi in August.”
“The cutting-edge medical equipment we provided to the PMMV is built to increase the capacity and the accuracy of medical diagnoses. We donated one portable X-ray unit called “FDR Xair” that supports various outreach medical screening services. FDR Xair, which weighs only 3.5 kilograms, is easy to carry and operate. The portable device is ideal for out-of-hospital health visits for patients in remote areas. FDR Xair is a powerful X-ray unit built for operations in remote settings. We also supported three portable ultrasound systems called Sonosite M-Turbo.” Engineered for portability and durability, the ultrasound solution is ideal for demanding environments. We hope that both solutions can help facilitate and speed up the diagnoses, allowing the patients to receive timely care,” added Mr. Masaaki Yanagiya.
Moving forward, Fujifilm Business Innovation Thailand Foundation said it will continue its efforts to support research, human resource development, or partnerships with non-profit organizations to create values for society. Over the years, its social contributions have been active and continuous. From 2012 – 2020, the Foundation granted scholarships to imaging and printing technology 12 students, valued at 2.4 million baht. In 2016, it donated 60,000 workbooks worth 2 million baht to children in remote communities. In 2021, the Foundation provided Covid-19 supplies and financial funds for Covid-19 vaccine development worth 2.5 million baht. Fujifilm Business Innovation Thailand Foundation pledged to never stop supporting society in various aspects.