Pattaya is considering opening a primary care unit at Wat Boonkanchanaram Community Medical Center to increase access to health services in the city.
Deputy Mayor Manote Nongyai chaired the Dec. 15 meeting to appoint a committee to study the proposals. City officials also saw a presentation about the possible location, number of required personnel and budget the project might need, which were not reported.
Not to be confused with an emergency room or urgent care center, primary care is a basic level of healthcare that helps to assess, prevent, maintain and diagnose illness. It’s a way to coordinate care at higher levels, such as through referral to specialists. Primary care can be planned in advance through regularly scheduled checkups.
Pattaya’s master development plan calls for establishing neighborhood primary care centers to provide doctors specializing in family medicine to increase access to healthcare and reduce crowding at city hospitals.
