Medical Ministry International in Thailand
The Medical and Dental Teams in Thailand are normally composed of volunteers from North America and the Philippines and led by Dr. Allan Melicor. They provide curative and preventive care to the villagers living in the Tsunami-hit outlying areas of Phuket and among various ethnic groups and migrants, as well as those in flood-damaged villages around Samroiyod. The team works closely with the workers and missionaries of the Philippine Association of Baptists for World Evangelism – Thailand. Medical Ministry International Philippines leads the way as they reach out to neighbouring countries.
Allan B. Melicor, M.D.
Dr. Allan B. Melicor, pictured left, is a General, Cancer and Laparoscopic Surgeon serving with Medical Ministry International as a Project Director throughout Asia. Allan was trained in the United States, U.S.A., U.K., and Japan. He lives with his wife Blessie, an RN, and son Allen Paul in the Philippines. They were introduced to Medical Ministry International in 1993 when a surgical team went to the Philippines. After volunteering that year, Allan has continued to host projects at the Bethel Baptist Hospital in Bukidnon, Aklan Baptist Hospital, Leyte Baptist Hospital & Leyte Province, Palawan Baptist Hospital and in North and South Palawan, the Tboli Evangelical Clinic and various places in Northern Philippines, as well as in Nepal, Cambodia, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Project Sites:
Kanchanaburi & Korat
Kanchanaburi is a town of 30,000 people and is situated 3 hrs by land transport northwest of Bangkok. It’s known for the Death Railway, built during WWII ,and the Kanchanaburi War Cemetery. It a popular destination for tourists. People in these villages are farmers and speak the Thai language.
Korat is approximately 5 hours northeast of Bangkok by land. It is the heart of the Nakhon Ratchasima metropolitan area. Korat's economy has traditionally been heavily dependent on agriculture, processing rice, tapioca, and sugar. Korat is also one of two sites in Thailand manufacturing disk drives, employing 12,100 workers in Korat.
* Project Description:
The medical and dental clinics on these projects are in the outlying villages around Kanchanaburi. The clinics are often held inside prisons as our partners and prison authorities requested MMI's presence and support among this marginalized group. Our visits include sharing with them that God cares for their bodies, souls, and spirits.
Elevation
30 m (98 ft.)
Climate
A lot of rain (rainy season) falls in the months: May, June, July, August, September and October.
On average, the temperatures are always high.
Phuket & Samroiyod
Phuket, a rainforested, mountainous island in the Andaman Sea, has some of Thailand’s most popular beaches, mostly situated along the clear waters of the western shore.
The villages around Phuket area are mostly fishing villages, and those in Samroiyod area are mostly farming villages. Although many of these villages have recovered, there are places that are still without adequate health and dental facilities.
* Project Description: The medical and dental teams composed mostly of volunteers from North America and the Philippines provide curative and preventive care to the villagers living in the Tsunami-hit outlying areas of Phuket and among the sea gypsies and migrants, as well as those in flood-damaged villages around Samroiyod.
Elevation
529 m (1,736 ft.)
Climate
A lot of rain (rainy season) falls in the months: April, May, June, July, August, September, October and November.
On average, the temperatures are always high.
Travelling on a Project
About Thailand
COUNTRY BACKGROUND
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and formerly known as Siam, is a unitary state at the center of the Southeast Asian Indochinese peninsula composed of 76 provinces. Thailand has a population of 68 million people. It's known for tropical beaches, opulent royal palaces, ancient ruins and ornate temples displaying figures of Buddha. With a high level of human development and the second largest economy in Southeast Asia, Thailand is classified as a newly industrialized economy; manufacturing, agriculture, and tourism are leading sectors of the economy.
LOCATION:
Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of Thailand, southeast of Burma
GEOGRAPHIC COORDINATES:
15 00 N, 100 00 E
MAP REFERENCES:
Southeast Asia
TOTAL AREA:
513,120 km²
BORDER COUNTRIES:
Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia
COASTLINE:
3,219 km
MARITIME CLAIMS:
12 nautical miles
CLIMATE:
Tropical; rainy, warm, cloudy southwest monsoon (mid-May to September); dry, cool northeast monsoon (November to mid-March); southern isthmus always hot and humid
TERRAIN:
Central plain; Khorat Plateau in the east; mountains elsewhere
ELEVATION EXTREMES
LOWEST POINT:
Gulf of Thailand - 0 m
HIGHEST POINT:
Doi Inthanon - 2,576 m
