Ramathibodi Toxicology Center dispatched the antidote "Methylene Blue" through the National Health Security Office (NHSO) system, promptly saving patients affected by an incident at a noodle shop in Udonthani.
On 10 June 2026, several people experienced abnormal symptoms after eating noodles at a shop in Ban Pornsawan, Nong Nakham Subdistrict, Mueang District, Udonthani Province, and were urgently taken to the hospital.
Dr. Nopparat Pantsaseth, Director of the National Health Security Office (NHSO) Region 8 in Udonthani, said the Ramathibodi Toxicology Center directly advised the treating doctors on symptom assessment, poisoning diagnosis, and antidote use. They also coordinated the immediate delivery of "Methylene Blue" antidote to the hospital treating the patients, enabling five severely ill patients to receive timely antidote treatment according to medical indications.
Dr. Nopparat said the patient assistance in this case resulted from close collaboration among several agencies: Ramathibodi Toxicology Center, NHSO, and Udonthani Hospital. They worked closely from symptom assessment, diagnosis, toxicology consultation, antidote delivery, to continuous patient care.
"I commend the doctors, nurses, and medical staff at Udonthani Hospital who mobilized all resources to care for the patients to the fullest, enabling rapid and appropriate treatment according to medical standards. This reflects the strength of the country's health service system and emergency care network that effectively links resources and expertise from the central level to local areas to ensure timely access to necessary treatment for the public."
The NHSO Region 8 Director added that this incident also demonstrates the national antidote system's ability to support emergency patient treatment effectively, regardless of the patient's location in the country.
Dr. Nopparat further explained that Thailand's antidote system is the result of strong cooperation between the NHSO and Ramathibodi Toxicology Center, Faculty of Medicine Ramathibodi Hospital, Mahidol University, and network agencies. It began in 2010 recognizing that many antidotes are "orphan drugs" with low usage, no profit, and some lacking normal market import or production channels, yet are essential for saving poisoned patients.
"Antidotes are drugs that hospitals cannot fully stock themselves because some are rarely used, expensive, or may not be immediately purchasable even with funds. Without a central system, patients might miss treatment opportunities. The NHSO and Ramathibodi Toxicology Center have therefore jointly organized a system from selecting necessary drugs, procurement, stocking, distributing antidotes nationwide, to providing toxicology consultation to doctors, ensuring all patients have timely access to essential antidotes," said the NHSO Region 8 Director.
Medical personnel seeking advice on poisoning cases can contact Ramathibodi Toxicology Center’s 24-hour hotline at 1367.