Thailand King donates 2.4 Billion to hospitals

In a wonderful showing of generosity and compassion the King of Thailand, Maha Vajiralongkorn, donated 2.4 billion Baht to 27 public hospitals located throughout Thailand. This is around $80 million.

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The new King was officially crowned in the past week on Coronation Day, a public holiday that takes place on the 5th of May every year. The Royals of Thailand don't normally get involved in public affairs but I think this was a wonderful first gesture as King.

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King Maha Vajiralongkorn have very big shoes to fill, so to speak, as his father King Bhumibol Adulyadej held the throne for 70 years and was extremely highly revered and loved by the people of Thailand. I would guess that he was likely the most loved monarch that the world has seen in a long time. Prior to his death in late 2016, the public never heard much about Maha Vajiralongkorn as the then Crown Prince chose to remain out of the public eye for the most part.

Public hospitals in Thailand, while not free, are really close to it. It is possible to go to one of these places for damn near nothing and while the facilities and services are not exactly great, they are better than nothing. Most people who can afford it will choose to go to private hospitals (also very reasonably priced) especially if they (like me) have insurance which is also very cheap. The public hospitals are normally lacking in supplies and staff, so this donation of close to 100 million dollars is very much appreciated and needed.

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This is a wonderful gesture by the new Monarch and will certainly help to score some points with the people of Thailand.

With a family net worth of an estimated $30 billion, this isn't exactly going to bankrupt the throne, but I think it is a wonderful showing of compassion to the people of Thailand.