SET-listed Thonburi Healthcare Group (THG) is preparing to help Bangladesh develop a so-called "hospital for society" in cooperation with the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus.
"We have no plan to build a new hospital there, but aim to improve public health facilities in Bangladesh and other overseas countries, especially those in Asean," said Tanatip Suppradit, chief executive of THG.
THG will help install information technology and operational systems at a Bangladeshi hospital with 500 beds.
"We are working with Bangladesh because the country lacks IT experts," said Dr Tanatip.
He was speaking after a recent visit to the hospital by Mr Yunus, an economist who founded Grameen Bank, which offers small loan programmes for the poor.
Both Mr Yunus and the hospital executive have exchanged views on work for public health and plans to deal with Covid-19.
Dr Tanatip said THG will continue to make its hospitals accessible to people from every walk of life, part of efforts that share the same aim as Mr Yunus.
"We set a goal to become a hospital for people of all groups and ages," Dr Tanatip said.
"We want the hospital business to play a role in helping raise people's quality of life. This aim will support the work of Mr Yunus."
THG helped the Thai government deal with the pandemic through many projects.
One of them was the construction of intensive care units at state-run hospitals and field hospitals to treat patients suffering from severe Covid-19 symptoms. The work was crucial at a time when vaccines had not been administered to the majority of Thailand's population.
THG also built 10 so-called hospitels to serve people with less serious symptoms, and helped the government run its mass vaccination programme.
