History of the Establishment of the Royal College of Anesthesiologists of Thailand

From the memorandum of Professor Niyom Chimawong, former head of the Department of Anesthesiology at King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, published in the Thai Journal of Anesthesiology, volume1:

“One day we met at a party, but what kind of event I couldn't remember. There were anesthesiologists from Siriraj, Ramathibodi and Chulalongkorn Hospital, all of us having a good time. One said there were quite a lot anesthesiologists now, we should form an association. This moment was an initiative, which was finally assigned to me as an operator”. Therefore, a meeting for group of doctors from Siriraj Hospital, Chulalongkorn Hospital, Ramathibodi Hospital, Klang Hospital, and Women’s Hospital (Nowadays, Rajavithi Hospital) was held at the Medical Association of Thailand, at Saladaeng House on March 10, 1970.

A senior staff member involved in the establishment of the association was Doctor Jiraphan Mathamchan. According to the rules, she invited Dr. Niyom Chimawong, Dr. Salat Thapwong, and Dr. Sariphon Vanikiet as initiators in order to request permission to establish an association from the Ministry of Education. Professor Niyom Chimawong held the first general meeting at the Medical Association of Thailand, at Saladaeng House on Sunday, April 25, 1971. It was the first meeting of the Thai Society of Anesthesiologists; 23 participants attended.

In 1988, The Thai Society of Anesthesiologists changed its status to “The College of Anesthesiologists of Thailand,” which was accredited by the Medical Council on October 12, 1990. Subsequently, Professor Pradit Charoenthaitawee, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital and consultant of The College of Anesthesiologists requested for the permission from his Majesty the King to take the College of Anesthesiologists under the royal patronage. His Majesty granted the request, so the "Royal College of Anesthesiologists of Thailand" was founded on June 16, 1992

Name and emblem of the Royal College of Anesthesiologists of Thailand

The Royal College of Anesthesiologists of Thailand is abbreviated as “รววท” in Thai and “RCAT” in English.

Explanation of the emblem of the Royal College of Anesthesiologists of Thailand

The single emblem, with an overall shape resembling a drop of water, consists of 12 golden petals of royal lotus flowers surrounding a round wheel, which has a symbol of two snakes wrapped in gold torches at the center. The top half is decorated with five colored stripes, arranged in red, white and blue according to the Thai flag. The lower half is replaced by the blue Thai characters "The Royal College of Anesthesiologists of Thailand", and has the Thai numbers “2513" above, curving along the inner rim of the wheel. With a halo of 17 golden spokes the Phra Maha Pichai crown (the great crown of victory), covering the Unalom Seal is enshrined at the top of the wheel. The blue ribbon with golden edges contain the English characters "The Royal College of Anesthesiologists of Thailand" curving along the bottom of the wheel.

The Phra Maha Pichai crown with a golden halo signifies that the Royal College of Anesthesiologists of Thailand received the royal grace from His Majesty to be under royal patronage and operate to full potential without expecting profit

Twelve lotus petals wrapped around the wheel with the Medical and Public Health Emblem in the center represents a person of dignity and rights worthy of using this logo, who should have morals and is continuing to improve their skill, knowledge and medical expertise, especially in anesthesiology and related sciences. Moreover, like a dharma wheel that spins forward all the time, the person should continue to develop mental growth with selflessness, generosity and compassion by considering the benefit of mankind as the first priority.

The Thai number "2513" means the first year of the establishment of the Anesthesiologist Association of Thailand. The Unalom Seal is an auspicious symbol that represents the wisdom of the Anesthesiologists, which is essential in performing work for the benefit of mankind. The three-color stripes of the Thai flag designate that the Royal College of Anesthesiologists of Thailand is the representative of the field of anesthesiology in Thailand. The blue ribbon refers to the color code of a nitrous oxide, which has a long history associated with anesthesiology.