Ministry of Public Health and Chulalongkorn University Jointly Hold Care D+ Training

On November 10, 2023, at Sumbudha Metta Pracharak meeting room, Department of Health Service Support, Ministry of Public Health, Dr. Cholnan Srikaew, Public Health Minister, along with executives of the Ministry, and Prof. Dr. Narin Hiransuthikul, Vice President for Strategic Monitoring and Assessment, Planning, Budgeting and Well-being, Chulalongkorn University, attended the opening ceremony of the Care D+ 2024 training program, a joint effort between the Ministry of Public Health and Chulalongkorn University, through the Graduate School. Dr Opas Karnkawinpong, Permanent Secretary for Public Health, presented a background of the program before the Minister delivered the opening remarks and the policy for Care D+ program and was then given an enrolment code by Prof. Dr. Narin Hiransuthikul. The event also included a demonstration of advanced communication skills using the Care D+ principles and an analysis and discussion of case studies by speakers from Chulalongkorn University and the Ministry of Public Health before ending with a sharing session on experience and challenges of communication in hospitals by the Ministry’s speakers.  

Dr. Cholnan Srikaew, Public Health Minister, said that creating understanding and promoting a good relationship between patients, relatives, and medical personnel through the Care D+ Team is an important policy of the Ministry of Public Health. The aims of this are to communicate with patients and their relatives of the steps and treatment and reduce possible misunderstandings. The Ministry of Public Health signed an MOU on Emphatic Communication in the healthcare sector with Chulalongkorn University on October 25, 2023, and jointly developed the Care D+ course to elevate the quality of communication in the healthcare sector and educate public health personnel on communication, especially on the issues of crisis communication management and emphatic communication. This will allow the Care D+ Team to listen to patients and relatives with understanding and compassion and be able to manage or respond to incidents correctly, helping to reduce misunderstandings or conflicts between them. This will enable the Care D+ team to empathize with patients and relatives and appropriately manage or respond to incidents, reducing misunderstands or conflicts. The training is available both on-site and online through the cugs.academy platform, with communications and psychology experts from the Graduate School of Chulalongkorn University as lecturers, starting from November 10, 2023, onwards. By this December there will be 1,000 members of the Care D+ Team and will achieve the target of 10,000 members within April 2024. The training will be continuously evaluated and the curriculum improved to ensure those who have completed the training are able to effectively communicate empathically.  

Prof. Dr. Narin Hiransuthikul, Vice President for Strategic Monitoring and Assessment, Planning, Budgeting and Well-being, stated that The Ministry of Public Health and Chulalongkorn University have jointly developed the Care D+ course with the aim to relieve anxiety of patients and relatives through communication and create mutual understanding with the people to maximize efficiency in public services. The training includes 7 lessons, both theoretical and practical, as well as an assessment.  

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Line