Study On The Rockefeller Foundation’s Medical Education And Health Assistance To Thailand (1963-1977)

The Rockefeller Foundation is one of the earliest private philanthropic foundations in the United States. The Foundation has a tradition to pay close attention to medical and health field. The Rockefeller Foundation carried out the early movement of Hookworm control and the medical education reform in Thailand, it helped the country taken an important step in the road of modernization of Medical and Health Services. From 1963 to 1977, The Rockefeller Foundation reset the medical education and health services aid to Thailand by the "University Development Program". The life science program of The Mahidol University established the basic science discipline and trained modern medical elite, however, this pattern is considered unable to meet the needs of national development. Therefore, Rockefeller Foundation has turned its attention to the establishment of community health and rural health service system. The Foundation has been involved in the Ramathibodi Community Health program and the Maeklong Integrated Rural Development Project successively. The Rockefeller Foundation Aid in medical education and public health system played a key role in the process of modernization of Thailand, and this program in Thailand was indigenized the American Elite Medical model. Rockefeller Foundation’s realistic goal of the medical health program is strengthened the stability of Thai medical elite and ensured that the Thai elite and the public identity of American development path. Finally, due to the particularity of Thailand program, Rockefeller Foundation’s mode of medical health assistance in Thailand is not a common modernization plan.