Bumrungrad Hospital
No really.... despite appearances, this is a real place - now building a virtual presence in Second Life. When I first noticed the Bumrungrad Hospital sim on the map, I assumed it to be some sort of crudely comical take on med school. Kind of like Animal House for medical students? But as it turns out - there really is a Bumrungrad Hospital.
It's website tells me: "Bumrungrad International is an internationally accredited, multi-specialty hospital located in the heart of Bangkok, Thailand. Founded in 1980, today it is the largest private hospital in Southeast Asia with 554 beds and over 30 specialty centers. Bumrungrad offers state-of-the-art diagnostic, therapeutic and intensive care facilities in a one-stop medical center. Bumrungrad serves over a million patients annually. Over 400,000 are internationals. " So that's me put firmly in my place! You live and learn, eh?
The sim is at a very early stage of development. It looks like a solo effort (and I know how long that can take!) and may take quite some time yet before it can be said to be fit to visit. As you might expect, a representation of the hospital seems to be the centrepiece of the build. How much of this is actually going to be of use is anyone's guess. It seems like a lot of effort to build structures (floors, rooms) that no-one is likely to visit - but then, I do recognise the need to show people a digital representation of the atomic building. I recognise it - but I don't always agree with it. But it is too early in the build here to get a sense of what is intended - so I will cut this short.
Here's a couple of snaps that may give you the idea (lots of plywood on show):
4 comments:
This is surreal. I think my Grandpa died in the first life Bumrungrad Hospital last year — I'll need to check with my Mom to confirm that, but among Thai, it has an excellent reputation. It also isn't pronounced quite how it's spelled in English — the "Bum" is closer to "Boum".
(Thai place names, like "Lo Thong", and "Phuket", have an odd tendencity to be translated into frat jokes!)
Thanks for the discovery, Al!
Back in March (so over 6 months ago) I did a number of blogposts on virtual healthcare, amongst which I blogged Palomar Pomerado Healthcare. On this healthcsare journey I also noticed Bumrungrad, but didn't visit it at the time.
Seems like time has stood still, if it's still in early development stage.
I did a post on Palomar Pomerado back in February, too:
http://slambling.blogspot.com/2008/02/virtual-healthcare-and-hospitals.html
But didn't notice this one.
Thanks for the heads up on this ... I live in Thailand and Bumrungrad is an amazing hospital I visit once every 2 years for a complete check-up ... it's like entering a sc-fi movie ... VERY efficient .. they get lots of medical tourists from around the world.
I'll be putting up a link in the medical Centre on International Schools Island
http://slurl.com/secondlife/International%20Schools/84/36/25
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