2020-09-24 Thu

Mahidol Day is a national observance in Thailand held on September 24. It is the death anniversary of Prince Mahidol Adulyadej who is regarded as the father of modern medicine and public health of Thailand.

Prince Mahidol was born on January 1, 1892. He was the 69th child of King Chulalongkorn. Mahidol received a military education and served in the navy for nine months. When he resigned, his half-brother Prince Rangsit asked him to help improve public health in Thailand.

Prince Mahidol died on September 24, 1929, due to kidney disease. To commemorate Prince Mahidol's contributions to public health and medicine, the anniversary of his passing was officially designated as Mahidol Day. In 1992, King Rama IX also founded the Prince Mahidol Award. It is given for outstanding progress in the field of medicine and for active promotion of public health.

In the year 2012, Thai Mint issued a 20 Baht coin to commemorate 120th Birthday of HRH Prince Father Mahidol Adulyadej. The coin depicts the facing portrait of the Prince on the obverse and the coat of arms of the country on the reverse.

Image Courtesy: colnect.com