Throughout 2025, Chiang Mai University demonstrated its commitment to improving healthcare access for vulnerable populations across northern Thailand. The university organized comprehensive health service programmes aimed at poverty alleviation through direct healthcare delivery to underserved communities. These initiatives provided critical basic services to low-income residents in remote areas of Chiang Mai and Lamphun provinces, addressing healthcare inequalities that often trap economically vulnerable families in cycles of poor health and deprivation.
Nursing Volunteer Camp for Community Health Promotion
On November 7th – 9th, 2025, the faculty of Nursing, Chiang Mai University runs a Nursing Volunteer Camp for Community Health Promotion, allowing nursing students at every year level to apply theoretical and clinical knowledge for community benefit. The camp is designed to build students' awareness of the health problems and risk behavior facing the host community, promote a healthier society capable of appropriate self-care, and integrate school-health knowledge to strengthen effective health care for students. The camp provided Basic Life Support (BLS) training for Village Health Volunteers and secondary school students, delivered by professional nurses from Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital together with faculty and students from the faculty of Nursing, Chiang Mai University, supported public health check-ups, beginning with screening, vital-sign assessment, and basic medical history-taking, followed by preliminary diagnostic evaluation, dementia screening for older adults, guidance on preventing complications from non-communicable diseases, and home visits to community households.
Preventive Dental Care and Hygiene Education across Upper-Northern Provinces
The Royal Dental Outreach Unit (หน่วยทันตกรรมพระราชทาน) operates under an explicit institutional mandate, to provide dental examinations, treatment, and oral-health education to the general public, school children, people with disabilities, and disadvantaged people in hard-to-reach communities across upper-northern provinces. The unit has performed 123 procedures in 2024, including extractions, scaling, fillings, and fluoride applications, while promoting oral hygiene education, particularly for children.
On June 7th, 2025, the Royal Project Foundation's Mae La Noi Royal Project delivered a combined mission in one of Mae Hong Son's most remote highland districts. The dental team treated 86 people (37 scaling, 14 fillings, 27 extractions, 3 pit-and-fissure sealants, 4 fluoride applications, and oral-health counselling for 71 individuals), alongside general medical check-ups, acupuncture, eyeglass distribution, and home visits to psychiatric patients in the area.
On July 1st, 2025, the unit provided dental services to Buddhist monks, novices, and local residents at Wat Doi Mae Pang, Mae Pang Subdistrict, Phrao District, Chiang Mai, on the occasion of the anniversary of the passing of Luang Pu Waen Sucino, in collaboration with the Suandok Hospital Foundation Mobile Medical Unit, faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University. The mission brought together more than 50 personnel, including dentists, dental faculty members, postgraduate students, healthcare staff, and volunteers. The team provided comprehensive dental services, including oral health examinations, tooth extractions, wisdom tooth surgery, scaling, dental fillings, and oral health education.
On November 20th, 2025, the unit, in collaboration with the Chiang Mai Dental Alumni Association, conducted a dental outreach mission for Buddhist monks at Wat Ban Khun Triam Phutthasat School, Bo Luang Subdistrict, Hot District, Chiang Mai. The team comprised more than 65 dentists, lecturers, students, dental assistants, healthcare personnel, alumni representatives, and volunteers. The team provided comprehensive dental services, including oral health examinations, scaling, fillings, tooth extractions, dental sealants, and oral health education. Toothbrushes and toothpaste were also distributed to promote continued oral health care.
Mobile Medical and Dental Mission Schools Across Mae Sam Laep Subdistrict,
Mae Sariang District, Mae Hong Son
On February 24th – 28th, 2025, a joint medical and dental team, led by Asst. Prof. Dr. Puripong Chantima with Chiang Mai University alumni, partner physicians from Tha Tum Hospital (Surin) and Prince of Songkla University, a volunteer cardiothoracic surgeon, and the faculty of Dentistry, held a mobile mission at this Salween River community bordering Myanmar. The team provided 1,553 general medical consultations; intra-articular injections were administered to 11 patients, 4 patients underwent ECGs (2 showed abnormalities and were referred to Sop Moei Hospital for further treatment), 4 patients had finger-prick blood tests, a patient received intravenous fluids, 18 hearing tests, removal of foreign objects from the ear for 70 patients, nebulizer treatment for 2 patient, wound suturing for 2 patient, a patient underwent a tissue biopsy, a patient had surgery to remove a bullet from their hand, 323 acupuncture/massage treatments for pain relief, 204 pairs of eyeglasses distributed, 13 referrals, and 398 haircuts, alongside on-site dental care from the faculty of Dentistry. The volunteer Offroad Team also distributed gifts, blankets, and meals to students and residents, including immigrant community, through 8 schools, including Ban Sop Moei School, Ban Bun Loe School, Ban Huai Kratai School, Ban To Haeng Border Patrol Police School, Ban Klo So Lo School, Ban Si Wa Doe School, Ban Ka Mu Doe School, and Ban Mae Sam Laep School; located in Mae Sam Laep Subdistrict, Sop Moei District, Mae Hong Son Province.
Mobile ENT and General Health Mission at Mae Tuen Hospital,
Omkoi District, Chiang Mai
The Suan Dok Hospital Foundation, Maharaj Nakorn Chiang Mai Hospital, and the Department of Otolaryngology, faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, led by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Nantikarn Sansuwan, together with Suan Prung Hospital, Mae Tuen Hospital staff, Chiang Mai University medical alumni, and volunteer physicians, held a mobile health mission in this remote hill district. The team treated 263 patients, who are local residents, including immigrant community, in total: 61 hearing tests, 6 hearing aids fitted, 117 acupuncture treatments, 14 referrals for further care, 42 haircuts, and 39 pairs of eyeglasses distributed on May 17th, 2025.
Jouint Community Service Program
Faculty of Associated Medical Sciences, Chiang Mai University, directly organizes and conducts Community Academic Services, covering four service lines: medical technology, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and radiological technology, across multiple municipalities. Recurring health-check activities scheduled across 8 locations (San Pong, San Pa Tong, Doi Loo, Mae Ga, Pa Sak, Sri Bua Ban, Chompu Subdistrict/Saraphi District, and the CMU Elderly Development Center). The program also allows Chiang Mai University students to have practical training in the actual field. Currently, the program has 16 projects, with over 1,176 registrants.
Joint Community Service: Faculty of Associated Medical Science and San Pong Subdistrict, Mae Rim, Chiang Mai
Faculty of Medical Technology, Chiang Mai University, directly organizes and conducts this initiative, in coordination with the host municipality, Sanpoong Subdistrict Municipality, Mae Rim District on February 8th, 2025. The university supplies the professional staff and equipment; the municipality provides the venue/beneficiary access. The Faculty delivered self-care training and health screening, blood draw services, lung X-rays, musculoskeletal pain consultations, dementia screening, mental health assessment, and speech/language services —spanning both Health (basic services) categories.
Joint Community Service: Faculty of Associated Medical Sciences and Pa Sak Subdistrict, Lamphun
Faculty of Associated Medical Sciences students and staff, with the collaboration with Pa Sak Subdistrict, LamPhun, delivered combining self-care training with blood draws, chest X-rays, fall-risk counselling for the elderly, dementia screening, mental health assessment, and speech-language services, demonstrating a sustained, repeatable community-service format that integrates teaching, research, and service at Lamphun Provincial Administrative Organization on June 14th, 2025.
Throughout 2025, Chiang Mai University implemented medical outreach programmes to improve access to essential healthcare services for local communities, including displaced people and immigrant populations. These initiatives aimed to ensure that underserved communities, particularly those living in remote areas, could access basic medical services and receive the healthcare support they need.
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