Bangkok – AstraZeneca (Thailand) Co., Ltd. has partnered with Buddhachinnaraj Hospital in Phitsanulok Province through a strategic collaboration to install the Asthma Smart Kiosk. This initiative aligns seamlessly with the vision to elevate Phitsanulok Province as a pioneering model city in comprehensive lung disease care. Operating under the banner of the Healthy Lung Smart City project, this endeavour underscores a commitment to advancing healthcare through science and innovation. By bolstering diagnostic capabilities and patient care for respiratory ailments, the project aims to drastically reduce mortality rates associated with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung cancer, striving towards near-zero fatalities. Embracing the belief in patient-centred care, this long-standing project, spanning over 7 years, has been instrumental in continuously enhancing services for this demographic.
Respiratory illnesses pose a significant public health challenge heightened by prevailing air pollution, notably PM 2.5 particulate matter. Alarming statistics reveal an average of 8-9 daily fatalities attributed to asthma, totalling 3,142 deaths annually, accounting for 3.42 per 100,000 individuals. Notably, adults succumb to respiratory conditions at a rate of approximately five times higher than children. In this strategic alliance, AstraZeneca (Thailand) Co., Ltd. and the Department of Internal Medicine at Buddhachinaraj Phitsanulok Hospital collaborated to implement the Asthma Smart Kiosk—this cutting-edge solution empowers healthcare professionals to efficiently evaluate, screen, and administer care to asthma patients, aligning with rigorous international standards. This initiative is a pivotal step in advancing Phitsanulok Province’s ambition to become a benchmark model city for comprehensive lung disease care, laying a robust foundation for enhancing Thailand's public health system poised to achieve international recognition.
Dr. Korn Talthip, Medical and Regulatory Affairs Director, AstraZeneca (Thailand) Ltd., reveals, “The Healthy Lung Smart City project is dedicated to facilitating patient access to cutting-edge innovations. Our goal is to elevate asthma care to global standards and enhance the efficiency of medical personnel, especially amidst time constraints, ensuring accurate diagnoses and optimal support for as many patients as possible. This initiative seeks to advance proactive care for individuals afflicted by chronic non-communicable diseases (NCDs), particularly asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and lung cancer. By expanding our telehealth system connection project nationwide by 2025, we aim to eradicate asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations, ultimately driving these rates to zero.”
Dr. Kajorn Suntrapiwat, Pulmonologist, Buddhachinaraj Phitsanulok Hospital, a medical professor and developer who laid the groundwork and fostered preparedness for asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease care by advancing contemporary treatment knowledge, states, “Through the strategic provision of lung function testing machines in every community hospital and the establishment of a robust patient referral network, Phitsanulok Province is poised to emerge as a model city for comprehensive lung disease care on multiple fronts.”
The Asthma Smart Kiosk serves as a valuable aid to medical personnel in assessing patients’ asthma control levels, including the evaluation of symptoms indicative of asthma; it offers video tutorials demonstrating proper inhaler usage for various types of asthma. Moreover, it educates the public on asthma knowledge and healthcare guidelines, with three primary objectives: ensuring adherence to medically correct drugs and devices, preventing acute asthma attacks, and ultimately striving to eliminate fatalities from lung diseases.
The Healthy Lung Smart City project is committed to implementing the Asthma Smart Kiosk innovation across numerous healthcare facilities nationwide, fostering continual improvements in the health outcomes of the Thai population. Anticipating tangible outcomes in the foreseeable future, the project will spearhead further innovations, including expanding its utilisation in a web-based format. This enhancement will enable patients to access information conveniently via QR Code scanning and conduct preliminary symptom assessments, thus alleviating congestion and substantially reducing hospital waiting times.
About AstraZeneca
AstraZeneca (Securities abbreviation, AZN on LSE/STO/Nasdaq stock exchanges) is a leading global biopharmaceutical company focusing on discovering, developing, and distributing medicines for medicinal purposes, particularly the group of drugs among cancer, heart disease, kidney, metabolic system, and respiratory disease. Based in Cambridge, UK, AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and has millions of patients worldwide benefiting from its innovative medicines. For more information, please visit astrazeneca.com and follow the company on LinkedIn @AstraZeneca.
###
For additional media information, please contact:
Cataliya Chalermvongsenee
Public Affairs and Communications Manager
Email: cataliya.chalermvongsenee@astrazeneca.com
Call: +66 (0) 80 064 8217
TH-17601
Expiry date: 22 Mar 2026