9 September 2024
By ASEAN Now
On September 8, 2024, it was reported that Major General Dr. Reienthong Nanna, Director of Mongkutwattana Hospital, posted on his Facebook page, stating:
“I plan to repurpose the ‘public phone booths’ that were donated for COVID-19 screening during the 2020-2022 pandemic. These booths are no longer in use and would otherwise become waste.
I will turn them into an innovation called ‘Smoke Rooms’ for those who break the no-smoking rule at Mongkutwattana Hospital. Smokers can smoke as much as they want inside these rooms, but the smoke will remain contained. It won’t disturb others or harm public health, only the smoker’s health, reported Thai Rath.
The cigarette smoke will continuously circulate inside the ‘Smoke Room’ until it’s fully consumed. The door, controlled by an automatic smoke sensor, will unlock only after the smoke has cleared, allowing the smoker to exit.
This ensures that smokers inhale 100% of their own cigarette smoke, maximizing the experience of each cigarette they smoke. Not a single bit of smoke will escape to disturb or harm anyone else.
While this ‘Smoke Room’ innovation may seem harsh, it ensures no one smokes inside Mongkutwattana Hospital. If someone avoids our hospital because of this strict anti-smoking measure, I would be more than happy.
Dr. Reienthong also mentioned he would name this ‘Smoke Room’ the ‘Hitler Room.’ (ห้องฮิตเลอร์)
He warned that anyone caught smoking selfishly in the hospital, harming others, will face public shaming by hospital volunteers and ‘Black Hooded’ individuals. He emphasized that this is not a joke and that they are serious.
Major General Dr. Reienthong Nanna, Director of Mongkutwattana Hospital—a hospital committed to civility, safety, being smoke-free, and free from troublemakers
—September 8, 2024, at 10:35 AM.
Note: The ‘Smoke Room’ or ‘Hitler Room’ will be showcased to the public once it is ready, as a deterrent for non-smokers.”