“Community Medicine” program is a proactive health promotional effort that aims to promote understanding and awareness of healthiness in members of the communities from all age groups. Thaioil has received good cooperation from Laem chabang Municipality, Laem chabang hospital, Boromarajonani College of Nursing Chonburi, Siriraj Hospital’s Thalassemia Center, Burapha Univeristy’s Faculty of Nursing and Faculty of Pharmacy, Silpakorn University’s Faculty of Pharmacy, as well as from Village Health Volunteers (VHV) to examine and file community health by using the Family and Community Assessment Program (“FAP”). FAP is a community medicine database program used to collect basic health information of the communities. It is invented and developed by Professor Urai Jaraeprapa, Walailak University.

Description of Different Programs Under the Community Medicine Database

Survey of Family’s Health (FAP-1) To collect basic health information in order to analyze, assess, report, and file the health status of each family to enable the database to be used as a tool to improve the overall health of the community

Risk Assessment of Non-Contagious Disease (FAP-2)To examine the blood sugar and cholesterol level in order to reduce the risk of developing diabetes, hypertension, and obesity

Assessment of Senior Members’ Self-Reliance Capabilities (FAP-3)To aid senior community members in adapting to the environment, thereby improving the quality of life of both seniors and their care takers

Risk Assessment for Thalassemia (FAP 4)To educate the community and enable carriers of Thalassemia to have better family planning and to take care of themselves or their spouse

Program to Monitor Medicinal Usage and Develop Family and Community Health (FAP-5 and Fap-6)

To survey and give guidance on basic medicinal usage to the communities surrounding the refinery, so that those at risk can take care of themselves properly, reduce the severity of diseases, and enable full recovery.
Thaioil’s Community Medicine Service has employed FAP1-FAB4 programs to the surrounding communities since the year 2011. Currently (year 2014), the database contains health information from 6 communities, 3,294 families, and 11,897 individuals. FAP5-6 was initiated in June 2014 and data has already been collected from 113 individuals. Thaioil Group Community Health and Learning Center, Laem Chanbang Hospital, Laem Chabang Municipality, and various academic institutions involved in the program will continue to collect data from all communities and will continually improve its procedure in response to changing community health. Thaioil believes that by improving the health and quality of life for communities and for society-at-large; the organization can continue to sustainably co-exist with the communities surrounding its refineries.

2.1School Dental Health Promotion Project in Communities Surrounding Thaioil Since June 2011, Thaioil Group Community Health and Learning Center has initiated the Dental Clinic Project to perform more than 15,000 dental procedures on students from first to sixth grade from 8 schools surrounding the refinery. Services offer to students include teeth scaling, fillings, extractions, sealants, and fluoride coatings. The project received great cooperation from the Department of Dentistry, Laem Chanbang Hospital under the memorandum of “Proactive Health Promotion for Communities Surrounding Thaioil Project.” The follow-up project to the Dental Clinic is the School Dental Health Promotion Project, which focuses on preventative measures to reduce tooth decay—a common condition occurring in children—will instill the habit of brushing teeth after meals and promote proper dental and oral hygiene.

To further encourage dental health, the Tap-Water Retainer Project was initiated at Laem Chabang Temple School to provide students with water to use for teeth brushing after lunch. Thaioil is currently considering building another tap-water retainer for the Saak-Yaii-Chin School in 2015 to alleviate the school’s water scarcity problem.

2.2 Laem Chabang’s Children Jump Rope Champion Project

The project was initiated in 2011 when the Thaioil Group Community Health and Learning Center, along with 8 surrounding schools and their teachers wanted their students to creatively express themselves, and to more importantly build the immunity and confidence of the students to properly conduct themselves; avoid drugs and internet cafes; and avoid creating trouble for themselves and others. Therefore, Thaioil has chosen to introduce the “Jump Rope of Thailand” project from the Thai Heart Foundation Under Royal Patronage to the Leam Chanbang area. The aim of this project is to promote health and body strength in youths, reduce the risk of heart disease, as well as build teamwork and unity. Thaioil also hosted the jump rope competition in Chonburi province to find representatives to compete nationally for the Royal Trophy. There were approximately 400 contestants. Thaioil also provided all travel expenses for students who made it to the national round of the competition. In 2011, students from the Laem Chabang area took home 12 out of 16 trophies.
What is more important than taking home the trophies, however, is that the students had dedicated their lunch break and time after school to play jump rope every day. Thaioil hopes that this project will make the students physically stronger, and increase their motivation to stay active. After all, children are important to the development of the country.

Thaioil has continually provided scholarships for hard working and highly-motivated students with good behavioral records that live and study in Laem Chabang municipality and Sri Racha district. In 2014, Thaioil Group, which consists of Thaioil Public Company Limited, Thai Lube Base Public Company Limited, and Thai Paraxylene Company Limited, along with their employee clubs and union such as the Thai Refinery Union, Thaioil Employees’ Credit Union, Senior Employee Club, Thaioil Alumni Association, and Volunteers Employees Group, funded a total of 211 scholarships. These scholarships are provided yearly and continuously to primary and secondary school students. The group also established 11 Thaioil Funds to support various academic institutions, and provide financial support to the “Graduates Love Home” project that is aimed to incentivize graduates and students from the Faculty of Nursing, Burapha University to work at Laem Chabang Hospital.

Furthermore, Thaioil annually hosts a “Youth Science and Cultural Camp” program, which brings together children from surrounding communities to learn about science and the environment. The goal is to foster scientific thinking and the love for the environment in students, as well as cultivate a scientific culture around the idea of “Listen to Know, Observe to Remember, and Act to Understand”.

Thaioil has initiated the Principle of Tripartite or “Ao-Udom Model” as a framework for positive integrated cooperation between Thaioil, the communities, and the local authority. Representatives from the 3 parties, which include a network of 10 communities surrounding the refinery, Laem Chabang City Municipality and Thaioil Group, will meet every month to discuss community development measures; and jointly resolve other complaints in the community. Aside from utilizing Thaioil’s knowledge and experience, the company has received help and support in information from various governmental and private organizations to complete its various projects, thereby realizing the company’s goal to provide benefits to the communities.

Principle of Tripartite or “Ao-Udom Model”

Furthermore, Thaioil has place great importance on the community leaders, who are the source of knowledge for community members and also act as liaisons between the communities and the refinery. As such, Thaioil has hosted the Community Leader’s Capability Development Program which aims to develop the knowledge and skills of community leaders to support them in improving the quality of life within the communities. The program will be held regularly, and each session will focus on different essential skills and activities, such as leadership skills, public speaking skills, teamwork skills, fieldtrip, and the Principle of Tripartite under the “5 Together” principles: Thinking Together, Doing Together, Fixing Together, Facing Consequences Together, and Developing Together. The program will help develop skills of the community leaders under real cooperation which in turn will help foster sustainable relationships between the refinery and the communities.

Network of Communities Surrounding Thaioil