Ramathibodi Poison Center’s role as a great pillar in the fight against poisons
As chemicals are everywhere around us, we all can fall prey to many kinds of poison. Globally, poison incidents exceed the number of professionals who can provide proper help. Fortunately, Thailand has “Ramathibodi Poison Center” to tackle this serious problem.
Established in 1996 under the Faculty of Medicine, Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, the centre started small with only a few staff members who worked 24/7, recounted Dr. Winai Wananukul, Director of Ramathibodi Poison Center.
In its early days, the centre faced several difficulties, including the high cost of toxicology databases and regional database creation with indigenous venomous animals. One of the biggest challenges was antidote and antivenom drug administration since the formulas are not used as often, are often rare, and are often expensive, making them sometimes unobtainable at critical times.
In 2005, the National Health Security Office (NHSO) came to financially support the centre to become a one-stop-service call centre for the public. Later, in 2010, it collaborated with the centre to better administer antidotes and antivenoms in a systematic way with the help of external partners, including the Government Pharmaceutical Organization (GPO) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH). Together, they successfully worked on antidote supply, distribution and storage.
Some antidotes can be produced by Thai Red Cross whereas others are imported by GPO. Antidotes can be stocked at any hospital-level depend on the characteristic of antidote and epidemiological techniques.
Besides effective drug administration there are an innovative GIS system that locates the nearest antidotes and knowledge sharing sessions on toxicology for doctors, nurses, and pharmacists nationwide. Moreover, the budget for antidote acquisition is reduced while the coverage is expanding more. With over 23 years of success and round-the-clock operation, Ramathibodi Poison Center has proven itself to be one of the most trusted institutes among hospitals around the country and is known for its excellent care of every patient, from step one through to treatment completion.
The centre currently  and toxicology. Plus five full-time and 18 part-time scientists who take calls and answer questions on poison. Each year, the centre treats over 25,000 cases. This considerable success has led to Ramathibodi Poison Center being recognised as an international hub that sends antidotes to other countries in cases of emergency.
Dr. Winai spoke of future challenges. The centre needs to figure out how to sustainably manage its operational cost of about 10 million baht each year with no income, he said. This is because the centre, like poison centres around the globe, does not charge patients for fear of limiting access to cures. In the long run, for the public’s good, the centre requires a public subsidy. Moreover, the country needs more toxicology experts and laboratories to ensure quality treatment. The centre aims to help local hospitals with better diagnosis and cures in order to reduce the number of transfers.
As one of the seven centres of excellence of Ramathibodi Hospital, Ramathibodi Poison Center believes that the heart of toxicology is to save critical patients before it is too late. Thus the centre is determined to treat patients from all regions of the country regardless of their treatment rights, races, and pre-conditions.