Delamarter, said to be one of the best orthopaedic surgeons in the world, was speaking with Sereechai, a Thai newspaper in Los Angeles, in an exclusive interview after successfully operating to treat lumbar spinal stenosis, a degenerative narrowing of the spinal canal, on His Majesty on July 20 at Siriraj Hospital in Bangkok.

The doctor said he was deeply touched to see Thai people clad in yellow in unison across the city and that many travelled across the country to express their wishes for the King's recovery at the hospital, despite the fact they knew they would not even catch a glimpse of him. Delamarter said he had also seen hundreds of thousands of well-wishers flocking to sign get-well messages at Siriraj.

He said it was remarkable that the King was so clearly in the hearts of all Thais, adding it had been a memorable experience.

Delamarter told the newspaper Thai people were lucky to have a King who was highly capable, intelligent, kind, merciful and honest.

"Moreover, I was impressed by Thai manners and hospitality as well as the places I visited," he said. "The only thing that was not so good was traffic congestion in Bangkok."

When asked if medical equipment that he brought from the US for use in the King's surgery could be kept in a museum in the Royal Palace, Delamarter said he was more than happy to give it to them.

The surgeon said the Thai medical care system is as modern as in the US and Europe.

Apart from being the medical director of the Spine Institute at St John's Health Centre in Santa Monica, California, Delamarter is currently an associate clinical professor at the Department of Surgery at UCLA's School of Medicine. - The Nation