Local health innovations win acclaim

Published on August 22, 2007

The exhibition, at Impact Muang Thong Thani, is part of a national seminar on "innovations to the community healthcare system strategy".

Innovations include a set of fake breasts to help women detect if they have cancer, and models to teach diabetics how to massage their feet to avoid numbness problems.

"When we knead kaffirlime fruit until essential oil comes out and put the fruit into the water, we are able to prevent mosquitoes from laying their eggs there," said Dr Supatra Sriwanichakorn, who heads the Institute of CommunityBased Healthcare Research and Development, about one innovation yesterday.

Several authorities including the Public Health Ministry organised the sem¬inar.

Ministry permanent sec¬retary Dr Prat Boonyawongvirot opened the seminar, while Health Minister Mongkol na Songkhla will deliver a closing speech today and accept policy proposals from participants at miniseminars.

More than 1,000 health volunteers from across the country participated in the seminar and its miniseminars.

Udom Thongmuan, from Nong Chim Health Station in Chanthaburi's Laem Sing district, said his team pre¬sented an "amazing breast set", which teaches women how to detect breast cancer by themselves.

Udom said the set was made of used gloves, swabs and stockings. Made in the shape of a woman's breasts, the set contains a lump on one of the mockups - an indicator of breast cancer.

"If a woman doesn't know how to check the mock breasts, she may be unable to find the lump. When we teach her the right technique, she will be able to find it. This same technique applies when she checks her own breasts," he explained.

Udom said the set could also be used as a teaching aid on how breastfeeding mothers could put their milk into bottles.

He said the sets sold for Bt300 each. Income from sales would go to local peo¬ple who made the sets in his district.

Penjan Wasunthararat, who heads Ban Sri Nakhon Community Health Centre in Prachuap Khiri Khan, said her team had a foot model to teach diabetic patients about how to massage their feet and prevent numbness.

She said numbness was a threat because it prevented diabetic patients from knowing if their feet were cut or wounded. When the patients are not aware of wounds, they could get worse and that may finally lead to amputation.

"Our massage combines acupressure techniques with a coconut shell as a tool," Penjan said. This prod¬uct is sold for Bt200 a set.

The Nation