Tip describes himself as a kind multi-tasker.  Others who know him would undoubtedly add highly intelligent as well, but Tip was too humble to include that.  He originally came to Hua Hin some 12 years ago now to take up a position as emergency physician at Hua Hin Hospital.  Tip has seen considerable change happen in the structuring of both public and private hospitals in his working life.  Up until ten years ago, there was no certainty that a hospital would even have an emergency department. Indeed, one of Tip’s early roles in his employment in Bangkok Hospital, other than directly being directly responsible for patient care, was moving between hospitals within Thailand and also in Cambodia and Laos to establish ED protocols and departments within existing hospitals.

Having moved from Hua Hin Hospital to the emergency department of Bangkok Hospital Hua Hin, Tip has now found a position that is allowing the lifestyle he desires, one not possible in Bangkok, or any other large city for that matter.  At age 48, Dr Tip is Department Director and is now able to have a greater say in his work schedule.  Tip has gratefully given up the demands of rotating shifts and chooses to stay on day duty. He has a five-minute commute from his home, and so has more time to enjoy the house he built with his wife Matt, and the veritable menagerie of animals including eight cats, nine dogs, ten birds and the numerous fish which share it with the couple. Tip even has time after his morning coffee to indulge his passion for trail running before he starts his shift, though he sometimes needs to interrupt his run if the hospital calls.

Tip was born in Bangkok, the elder child, with a sister following two years later.  His father is a neurologist and his mother a psychologist, so Tip and his sister were winners in the genetic stakes from the beginning, she now an infectious diseases specialist in a teaching hospital in Bangkok.  At primary school Tip knows he was not at the top of the class, but what he did have was parents who encouraged their son in a wide range of interests, both sporting and cultural.  Tip learnt to play the piano.  He hasn’t tickled the ivories for many years now, but was happy to hear the skill is like riding a bike and will return when he is able to prioritise time to re-engage with music.  Tip’s sporting interests were swimming and kayaking but he admits to skipping sport to have extra time studying once he reached high school.

 A favourite memory for Tip were the holidays in Austria that he and his sister took starting from when they were ten and eight years old, respectively.  There was a period of around 3 years that the siblings were living in Bangkok with their grandparents while their parents engaged in postgraduate study in Austria.  Tip and his sister would visit their parents in Austria for the extended summer break, travelling alone on the plane as unaccompanied minors, eager parents awaiting them at the arrivals gate as soon as they cleared Immigration. It must have made them feel very grown-up.

It wasn’t until Tip graduated from high school that he decided to follow a medical career path, a choice not made until it absolutely had to be, and he feels lucky to have met all the entry requirements.  Initially Tip thought he might become a surgeon, perhaps specialising in brain or heart surgery, but that ambition waned and at the end of his fifth year of studying, when crunch time came again, Tip decided to specialise in Emergency Medicine. It was not a spur-of-the-moment decision, but rather a reasoned choice. Tip had seen just how hard some of his favourite professors and lecturers worked, and how they were on-call, 24/7, at the mercy of their patients’ needs.  He thought working in the Emergency Department, with its defined shifts, would be a more straightforward proposition, with fewer hours of work responsibility. Much as he loves being there at critical times for his patients, Tip was not prepared to sacrifice his ongoing well-being and lifestyle to be their medical specialist.

Perhaps he was right, but Tip soon appreciated the pressure of being an emergency physician. During a typical shift, there will be numerous moments when time is of the essence, and delay may mean the difference between life and death, such as is the case with cardiac arrest, stroke and trauma patients. Physicians in the ED need a doctor capable of snap decisions, who gets it right, 100% of the time. And in the ED, the patient, unfortunately, cannot always be saved, so there is a huge stress toll from that.  With experience, Dr Tip has learnt how to switch off at the end of his shift, but that wasn’t always the case.

After his medical training in Bangkok, Tip spent several years working in Krabi, where he completed his internship, then a further year in Suratthani.  He returned to Bangkok for his residency training in the ER, and also worked in establishing hospital emergency departments.  All this has given Tip a thorough grounding in understanding the dynamics of a busy Emergency Department. Tip states that the first hour is critical for any patient who presents to his department. His patients are split almost evenly between Thais and foreigners, with the majority of them considered senior citizens.  Each shift for Tip is likely to include road trauma victims, though thankfully 70% of them will have injuries which are not life-threatening. Tip decries the relationship between pedestrians and drivers here in Thailand, dubbing it “confused and upside-down”. Cars are clearly more easily fixed than people.

So, although Tip is still practicing in the ED, that is no-longer his sole job within the hospital.  He has taken on the task of medical coordinator which has seen him establish a role as liaison between the patient and their insurance company to ensure smooth interactions between the parties. It had become obvious to Tip that there were gaps in communication which needed plugging, so Tip made himself “the missing link”. Unfortunately, sometimes for patients whose insurance has lapsed, never existed or who have no family support, Tip is needed to involve the patient’s Thailand embassy to help secure assistance for them. Another role requiring Tip’s skill as liaison, facilitator and negotiator is his elected role as President of Medical Organisation at Bangkok Hospital, Hua Hin.  Although we tend to think of hospital as primarily a medical institution, a private hospital is also a business, with turning a profit a core aim, as with any other business. Tip’s role sees him acting as a facilitator for other doctors and a co-ordinator for hospital management.  A key task is to overcome any inbuilt divergence of focus and to expedite a consensus view of any issue that arises in patient care.  It is a fine line, which Tip is able to walk with steady steps, by listening attentively, understanding people’s needs, and encouraging all parties to be realistic and act within the limitations of the situation. These roles seem to be the perfect training ground for Tip’s next career step, to Chief Medical Officer, in a hospital somewhere. As a doctor, Tip has been buoyed by patients who tell him they have complete trust in his decision-making.

In his personal life, Tip is in a very happy place. He is very grateful to have Matt as his life partner, crediting meeting her as the true start to his life. Before he met her, Tip felt he was flailing about without clear purpose. Their tranquil home, with its lush garden, is the exact counter-point Tip needs to his busy medical career.  Tip also finds peace in his trail running, where he can shut out the noise of the world and listen attentively to his own thoughts and feelings.  Within the next few years, before he turns 50, Tip is hoping to undertake solo travel, specifically the Shikoku Pilgrimage, a 1,200km trek to 88 Buddhist temples on the island of Shikoku, Japan’s least known main island.  Taking more than 40 days to walk, pilgrims follow the historic steps of Kukai Daishi.  While other pilgrims, “ohenro-san”, may undertake the journey to atone for sins, to pray for health and success or in pursuit of enlightenment, Tip will be looking for a solid period of quiet introspection.

When Tip sets himself goals, they are never small. He is also keen to compete in what is arguably the world’s most iconic trail race, the UTMB.  Billed as “the most mythical and prestigious trail running race in the world”, with 171kms and 10,000 metres of positive elevation gain around Mont Blanc, through Italy, Switzerland and France, this competition would be a true test of both Tip’s fitness and his determination. To even be able to submit his name, Tip has to meet stringent entry requirements, and then be selected for entry in a ballot, so it may only be luck that allows Tip to check this one off his bucket list.

Tip also has more passive goals and interests in his future.  Although as a younger man he learnt music, Tip now feels he missed out on learning in the field of art and is keen to study art history.  He feels he does not have the dexterity for painting but is keen to engage personally with art through photography. Tip’s main goal for the future is to be able to continue enjoying good health, though he admits that during times of stress, he can revert to the poor habit of emotional eating. Sugar, according to Tip, is “a legal drug”. Indeed, Tip is not in favour of the legalisation of cannabis in Thailand, predicting a growth in mental illness including depression and bi-polar disorder as a direct result of increased cannabis usage in the community.

Technology is important to Doctor Tip in both professional and personal capacities as it allows him to stay in contact with colleagues and friends and is a way to store, retrieve and access up-to-date information.  Tip doesn’t usually devote too much of his limited time to social media, though in a fire, his computer would be the first material possession he would try to save. According to Tip, he likes nothing better than living the simple life.  A perfect day would include waking up after a solid seven and a half hours of sleep, a morning coffee, time playing with his dogs, a run then time to complete a few tasks in his home office, in the company of his fish.  Home is Tip’s favourite place in the world, and especially when he has a medium rare steak to look forward to.

Tip has a profound love of animals and the natural world, revealed by his admiration of Seub Nakhasathien, a renowned Thai conservationist and environmental activist who tragically took his own life.  Seub tried to protect animals and the pristine environment from the devastation of a dam project, and was instrumental in ensuring UNESCO World Heritage listing for the Huai Kha Khaeng sanctuary.  Tip shares a common trait with Seub, a streak of perfectionism which means they are, by far, their own harshest critics.  For this reason, it is a blessing that Tip has found ways to disconnect and decompress when necessary.

Dr Chanatip Ponglorpisit is a man of many talents, much drive and great ambition.  People would clearly prefer never to need his medical services, but if they do, they may take comfort in the fact that they are in very capable hands.