by Dr. Iain
Corness
The
new director of the Bangkok Pattaya Hospital is a former Ear Nose and
Throat specialist, who has now taken on an administrative role. Whilst the
vast majority of doctors do work hard, Dr. Somchai Pattana-Anek has worked
harder than most. To underscore just how busy this man has made himself,
while fulfilling his medical residency requirements in Trang province, he
sat and passed the exams for a Bachelor of Laws degree, studying by
correspondence. “It’s easy for medical people,” said Dr. Somchai,
“You just read, read, read and sit the exams. But it’s good to know
the law, so you don’t break it!”
He was born in Bangkok, being one of seven children
born to a Thai-Chinese businessman and his wife. There were no other
doctors in his immediate family, and none of his siblings chose the
medical profession either. After finishing his schooling, he was unsure of
his direction. “The (general) education system does not help in the
choice of a career,” said Dr. Somchai. However, since he had finished
with high enough scores to enter medical training at the prestigious
Mahidol University, that became his life for the next six years. “I
realized that if I became a physician, since no-one in my family was one,
my mother and father would be glad.”
Those who can remember all the “Doctor” movies,
where the undergraduates spent their time larking around will be
disappointed when they hear the real story. “I learned that even the
student times were hard work,” said Dr. Somchai.
After his six years of training, it was into internship
for the next 12 months at a government hospital in Bangkok, followed by
another two years at a government hospital in Trang. This completed his
three years of compulsory government service. It also allowed him to
complete that Law degree!
While seeing patients, carrying out procedures, reading
and studying Law, he was also looking towards his future in medicine. He
was drawn towards ophthalmology (eyes) or ENT (ear, nose and throat). ENT
looked the most suited to him, as he by this stage knew that he enjoyed
not only clinical patient contact as a physician, but he was also good at
surgery. ENT could offer him both worlds, so he began further training in
Bangkok, where he was to stay for the next three years.
Again, it became obvious that this young doctor was not
only hard working, but was talented as well. His professor advised him to
apply for a scholarship to further study ENT at Munter University in
Germany.
When one’s professor suggests, one naturally concurs,
an old rule in medicine. Dr. Somchai applied and won the scholarship for
three years study in Germany. There was only one slight problem; he would
have to speak German. For the hard working ENT specialist, learning German
was simple and enjoyable. “Studying the German language took four
months. For me it was a four month holiday! No patients, no nightshifts,
no surgery,” said Dr. Somchai.
He spent the next three years in Germany honing his
knowledge and surgical skills. He is proud of his expertise in surgery,
being able to remove a larynx (voice box), a very tricky operation, in two
hours. To be able to do this requires practice and dedication as well as
innate skill. He also was impressed by the German attitude of no
compromise on quality.
Now it was time to return to Thailand and give the Thai
people the benefit of his specialized knowledge in ENT, knowledge that had
taken up the previous nine years on top of the six years leading up to his
graduation. Medical specialization takes much longer than most people
would imagine.
Dr. Somchai chose the government hospital in Chonburi
as his base, working there for 14 years. He also opened his own ENT
specialty clinic, and his reputation grew exponentially. He was simply
deluged, with more than 120 patients per day seeking his opinion. However,
you have to remember that this is a man who thrives on hard work, and 120
patients a day were not going to stop him cold.
He developed an interest in architecture, planning,
designing and overseeing were all part of this. He designed his own homes
and then designed and built a new ward at his hospital. A ward that has
received much praise for its layout. His talents seem as boundless as his
energy!
He became so well known in Chonburi that he was asked
to be an Electoral Commissioner and was approached to run for the Senate.
He flirted with the concept for some time, but eventually decided against
it. His medical work was still too important at that stage.
That medical work also included medical charity for the
poor and disadvantaged, where amongst other things he would organize
medical clinics that would go out to the villages. This charity work is
something that he is still involved in, running charity medical clinics at
Ang Sila each month.
However, he also felt himself start to slow down too.
At that stage he was 46 years old, well settled in life with his wife and
two children. “This is hard work. I don’t want to keep going (at this
rate) forever,” he said to himself. He also believes that as a doctor
ages, he should be doing less, as his capacity for work lessens.
He began to combine his clinical practice with more of
an administrative role at the Chonburi hospital, but a professional
colleague told him that this was not a good idea, as to be a good
administrator you have to focus. You cannot do both.
The Bangkok Pattaya Hospital made an approach, which
came at the right time. This was to take over the administration of our
local award-winning hospital as the director, and no doubt he will apply
himself just as energetically as he did in ENT.
Pattaya will hear much more of this hard working doctor over the next
10 years!
