Between 4–7 May 2026, the Royal Thai Embassy in Vientiane supported the 4th “Love for Humanity by Siriraj” project organized by the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, in collaboration with Pa Ban Tat Temple and Pa Na Kham Noi Temple. Through fundraising efforts, the organizers brought a team of Thai doctors and nurses to the Lao PDR to undertake a humanitarian medical mission, providing hip and knee replacement surgeries for underprivileged patients at Mittaphab Hospital in Vientiane Capital as part of the commemorative activities marking the 75th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Thailand and the Lao PDR. In addition, the Royal Thai Embassy in Vientiane, Nong Khai Province, and Vientiane Capital facilitated customs and logistical arrangements for the importation of all medical equipment and surgical instruments, together with invaluable support from Mittaphab Hospital through patient screening, preparation of operating rooms, and the deployment of Lao doctors and nurses to work alongside the Thai team.
Over the course of three days, Professor Dr. Keerati Chareancholvanich, Project Chair and Head of the Department of Orthopedic Surgery at the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, led the Thai medical team to perform hip and knee replacement surgeries for 49 patients, totaling of 70 joints. In addition, one patient requiring a specialized prosthetic joint will continue treatment at Siriraj Hospital in Thailand. Many cases involved technically complex and challenging surgeries during which the Thai medical team shared advanced surgical knowledge and techniques with the Mittaphab Hospital’s medical personnel of, helping to strengthen the Lao PDR’s long-term medical capacity to provide broader and more sustainable care for patients in the future. This reflected the spirit of the Thailand–Lao PDR “Strategic Partnership for Growth and Sustainable Development.” Beyond providing medical treatment, the doctors, nurses, and project supporters also donated blood to ensure sufficient reserves for patients undergoing surgery under the program.
At the opening and closing ceremonies, H.E. Mrs. Krongkanit Rakcharoen, Ambassador of Thailand to the Lao PDR; Dr. Bounserth Keoprasith, Deputy Minister of Health of the Lao PDR; H.E. Mr. Sisavath Inphachanh, Ambassador of the Lao PDR to Thailand; Professor Dr. Apichat Asavamongkolkul, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital; and Dr. Sonexay Rajvong, Director of Mittaphab Hospital, attended to honor and support all those involved. They also witnessed touching moments of success and joy as patients who had once lost the ability to walk were able to stand and walk again on their own.
Throughout the mission, Luang Por Inthawai Santussako of Pa Na Kham Noi Temple, Luang Por Sutham Suthammo of Pa Ban Tat Temple, and Phra Anilman of Bowonniwet Vihara Temple graciously visited to offer encouragement to the doctors, nurses, patients, and their families. The two Venerables also kindly accepted the invitation from the Royal Thai Embassy in Vientiane to receive alms and offerings of monastic requisites, as well as to chant Buddhist prayers at the Thai Residence. The ceremony was well attended by H.E. the Ambassador of Thailand to the Lao PDR, Professor Dr. Chareancholvanich, officials of the Royal Thai Embassy and Team Thailand, as well as Thai and Lao Buddhist devotees, totaling approximately 60 participants.
This benevolent project demonstrated the profound compassion and enduring friendship between the peoples of Thailand and the Lao PDR as reflected in Phra Anilman’s remarks during the closing ceremony:
“Thailand and the Lao PDR share close cultural and linguistic roots, with Buddhism at the heart of our way of life. Although the Mekong River may serve as a geographical boundary, in the spiritual sense, the same river has nurtured the people on both banks without borders. The current of compassion continues to flow between us, forever transcending all boundaries.”