Month: June 2020

Although Thailand’s COVID-19 overall situation continues to improve, to keep Thai people stay on guard and remain mindful to prevent the second wave of infections, Thai Roong Ruang Sugar Group, Thailand’s fully integrated sugar business, has joined hands with SCG Foundation and SCG Express, producing and delivering 200,000 bottles of 60 ml alcohol-based sprays to various groups at increased risk for infections including officials, underprivileged people, people with disabilities, labor groups and journalists. SCG Foundation has partnered with Thai Roong Ruang Sugar Group and SCG Express to deliver 15,000 bottles of alcohol-based sprays to the Thai Journalists Association, Rueng Den Yen Nee TV Program, and FM106 Family News. Dr. Ukrit Asdathorn, Managing Director of Thai Roong Ruang Energy Co. Ltd., a bagasse-based ethanol producer, a subsidiary of Thai Roong Ruang Sugar Group, and          Mr. Yuttana Jiamtragan, Director of SCG Foundation, provided the handout to journalists. The journalist is another career that has to contact many people to cover the pandemic in high-risk areas to gather information and report the public about the current COVID-19 situation.

Furthermore, the partnership plans to distribute alcohol-based sprays to aid the underprivileged people such as visually impaired people, schools for the blinds, and people living in slum areas who have poor access to alcohol sprays. The support aims to secure hygienic well-being and prevent the second wave of infections.

Though the country’s overall situation has become better, we need to remain vigilant because various parts of the world are facing a continued surge in infections. And it is the mutual responsibility of all Thais to take care of themselves and one another to avoid burdening medical resources. Thai Roong Ruang Sugar Group, SCG Foundation, and SCG Express hope everyone to stay safe from COVID-19, and we will get through this crisis together.

SCG Foundation, led by Mr. Roongrote Rangsiyopash, President of SCG Foundation, along with Mr. Chaovalit Ekabut, Executive Director of SCG Foundation, Ms. Suvimol Chivaluk, Director and Manager of SCG Foundation and Dr. Suracha Udomsak, Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Chemicals Business, SCG, donated a CT Scanner and facility improvement fund worth a total of 14 million Baht. Recommended by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the CT Scan innovation can provide high-resolution and precise imagery, coming with software developed to speed up the COVID-19 diagnosis process while maintaining accuracy. The CT scan canner caters to up to 300 cases per day. The innovation can be implemented in other medical diagnostic practices. Assoc. Prof. Thanya Subhadrabandhu, M.D., Acting Vice President of Mahidol University and Prof. Piyamitr Sritara, Dean of Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, were representatives receiving the donation.

Furthermore, SCG Foundation also presented Ramathibodi Chakri Naruebodindra Hospital with SCG’s COVID-19 innovations, including Negative Pressure Isolation Room, Small Patient Isolation Capsule for CT Scan to keep healthcare workers safe from COVID-19.

SCG Foundation teamed up with Siam Global House Public Company Limited, donating the Modular Screening & Swab Unit and Modular Bathroom worth 3.9 million Baht to keep the hospital at a heightened state of readiness for a possible new wave of COVID-19. The innovation aims to reduce contact between medical professionals and patients with an integrated pressure-controlled airflow system to ensure appropriate air quality and disinfection system to stop the spread of the virus. The units can conveniently be installed in a limited space in no time which helps mitigate the risk of COVID-19 infections among healthcare workers and patients. Roi Et Governor Wanchai Kongkasem presided over the handover ceremony along with    Dr. Chonlawit Laothong, Director of Roi Et Hospital, Dr. Pitakpong Payuha, Deputy Provincial Chief Medical Officer of Roi Et and Roi Et Communicable Disease Committee, Mr. Witoon Suriyawanakul, CEO of Siam Global House Pcl. and Mr. Bunn Kasemsup, Head of SCG Home Retail and Distribution Business on behalf of SCG Foundation.

Dr. Chonlawit Laothong, Director of Roi Et Hospital, revealed that the team at the hospital is delighted and gratified by the Modular Screening & Swab Unit provided by SCG Foundation and Siam Global House Pcl. The support signifies that the two companies underline the priority of enhancing the safety of healthcare workers operating on the front line of care by introducing a universal standard Modular Screening & Swab Unit to provide safe testing for suspected patients. The hospital has optimized the Modular Screening & Swab Unit to fit medical practices and services for respiratory patients and transformed it into a one-stop service to improve service speed offering al-inclusive services in one place from patient registration, medical history evaluation, an examination by a doctor, swab collection, to drug collection.   The service point is located in a separate area that is made isolated from the main building to avoid direct contact between patients to reduce the risk of infection. The unit will help increase the hospital’s readiness for the second wave of COVID-19 or can be used for testing other respiratory diseases like fever, or pulmonary tuberculosis when the COVID-19 pandemic is contained. The hospital offers care for over 9,700 respiratory cases a year. Roi Et Hospital provides tertiary care with a bed capacity of 820 and a daily patient load of 2,000 people. The Modular Screening & Swab Unit has been successfully installed and open to patients with respiratory conditions such as cough, sore throat, runny nose, or inability to smell. The unit is located in front of Roi Et Hospital’s Mahaweero Building on Rimkhlong road. The unit is used to provide tests to those with suspected infections and ensure that they are effectively isolated from other patients in the hospital building. The one-stop service has been operating since June 1, 2020.

Mr. Bunn Kasemsup, Head of SCG Home Retail and Distribution Business, on behalf of SCG Foundation, added that the Modular Screening & Swab Unit intertwines the SCG’s technologies of SCG HEIM and Living Solution. The testing room reserved for suspected COVID-19 cases is designed with Smart Indoor Air Quality (IAQ Smart), which maintains adequate air pressure and airflow to ensure clean and safe air. The airtightness system will keep the unit sealed and prevent air migration, resulting in effective pressure control in the room. Healthcare workers will be in a positive pressure room where the contaminated air will be barred to ensure a clean and safe environment. The suspected patients will be in a negatively pressurized room equipped with constant suction to prevent the virus from escaping, ensuring safety among medical teams. The swabbing process is performed through an acrylic sheet that allows doctors to insert their hands through a plastic glove-covered slot to collect the sample, lowering the risk of contracting the virus from patients. Plus, the UV germicide, concentrated UV radiation, is applied to kill the virus after each use. About 80 percent of the structure is made in SCG’s factories where the quality and the cleanliness of the units are under control throughout the manufacturing process. The structure is designed for quick and easy installation and reduces the risk of infections among healthcare workers and patients while offering quicker and more effective testing results.

Mr. Witoon Suriyawanakul, CEO of Siam Global House Pcl., said that since the early outbreak of COVID-19 to the preparedness for the second wave of infections, front line workers at the hospital have persistently provided screening and testing services for suspected cases prior to the treatment. On behalf of Siam Global House, the company is part of Roi Et province as it is home to company’s main office, and the company’s partners and employees are people from Roi Et and neighboring provinces. We realized that Roi Et Hospital is a large hospital tasked with managing care for people of Roi Et and nearby provinces in the northeast that is still in need of support on safety and facilitation for healthcare workers and patients.

Crisis always brings opportunity, and this time it shines a positive light where we see individuals, groups, and organizations with different expertise coming together to help the country get through this crisis. Thai Roong Ruang Sugar Group, Thailand’s fully integrated sugar business, joined hands with SCG Foundation and SCG Express, producing and delivering 100,000 bottles of 60 ml alcohol-based sprays to Thai PBS. Thai PBS will give the handout to the Immigration Bureau and Ministry of Labour for further distribution to officials facing a higher risk of infection and cross-border workers across the country.

Dr. Ukrit Asdathorn, Managing Director of Thai Roong Ruang Energy Co. Ltd, a bagasse-based ethanol producer, a subsidiary of Thai Roong Ruang Sugar Group, said that “The partnership was forged in March in the wake of alcohol shortage. We realize that hospitals, healthcare workers, and staff at state quarantine facilities are dedicated frontline workers. The company is temporarily licensed by the Excise Department to produce alcohol for sanitation purposes. We straightaway delivered alcohol to hospitals and relevant units working at state quarantine facilities. Until now, over 70,000 liters of alcohol are provided out of the estimated demand of 100,000 liters, of which we are delivering at the receivers’ convenience and requirements. We would like to thank the companies for the support of tanks and glycerol, which were hard to find at the time. With the support, we manage to deliver alcohol to over a hundred hospitals and relevant units.”

“Now, the shortage of alcohol has subsided; the next goal for all Thais is to prevent a new wave of COVID-19. We understand that some Thais do not have access to alcohol, so we partnered with SCG Foundation to make alcohol-based sprays to keep the hygiene practices intact and remain guarded while helping one another stop COVID-19 from returning,” said Dr. Ukrit.

Mr. Yuttana Jiamtragan, Director of SCG Foundation, said, “The foundation has aided and protected healthcare workers from the risk of infection by equipping them with COVID-19 innovations at hospitals nationwide worth over 60 million Baht. The innovation series include Mobile Isolation Unit, Patient Isolation Capsule, Dent Guard, and 600 sets of item kits (Or Sor Mor or VHV Kits) in the express of concerns and gratitude toward the community heroes, Village Health Volunteers (VHVs)”

“The pandemic situation in Thailand has improved as the number of new cases has declined, but we have to stay vigilant and keep our guard up. SCG Foundation and Thai Roong Ruang Sugar Group have collaborated to produce alcohol-based sprays and donated them to the Ministry of Labor and Immigration Bureau. The items will be further distributed to officials and individuals facing heightened risks of infections due to the nature of social contacts in daily operations. This is a dedicated group of people working since the outbreak of the disease. At the same time, the alcohol-based sprays will be given to officials at Immigration Division and Social Security Office across the country and vicinity areas, Department of Employment, Labour Checkpoint, and Employment Office nationwide. The efforts aim to reduce the risk of infection and accommodate safer border-crossing with SCG Express collaboration to deliver alcohol-based items free of charge. And importantly, we would like to thank Thai PBS for mediating the handout to improve the safety of Thai people,” said Mr. Yuttana.  

Apart from this handout, Thai Roong Ruang Sugar Group and SCG Foundation plan to distribute 100,000 alcohol-based sprays to aid the underprivileged people such as visually impaired people, School for the Blind, and people in a slum area who have poor access to alcohol sprays. The support aims to secure hygienic well-being and prevent the second wave of infections.

Although Thailand’s overall situation has improved, we need to remain vigilant because various parts of the world are facing a continued surge in infections. And it is the mutual responsibility of all Thais to take care of themselves and one another to avoid burdening medical resources. Thai Roong Ruang Sugar Group, SCG Foundation, and SCG Express hope everyone to stay safe from COVID-19, and we will get through this crisis together.