Soonthorn Tharnyong leads facilities management where consistency has a direct impact on hospital operations.
As TFM Manager at Chulalongkorn Hospital, he helps manage FM delivery across one of Thailand’s major public healthcare environments. Since joining the Bhumisiri Building in 2019, he has helped maintain consistent service delivery across departments, shifts and high-use areas.
His background in service contract planning, safety, building management and mobilisation gives him a practical view of what healthcare FM needs on the ground. Clear responsibilities. Trained teams. Visible supervision. Standards that hold under pressure.
For PCS, Soonthorn’s work reflects the value of structured site leadership. The strength of healthcare FM is not only in the services delivered. It is in how those services are planned, supervised and repeated across a live hospital environment.
Clear Ownership Across OPD and IPD Areas
Large healthcare sites leave little room for grey areas.
Soonthorn manages cleaning teams across OPD and IPD areas, with responsibilities assigned by zone. This gives supervisors better visibility across service areas and clarifies accountability across teams.
In a hospital environment, clear ownership helps reduce missed tasks, delayed escalation and uneven standards between departments. It also allows resources to be directed where they are needed most as site activity changes through the day.
This is where operational control begins. Teams know their areas. Supervisors know where standards need attention. Service delivery becomes easier to manage across a complex site.
Standards That Hold Across Shifts
Healthcare FM depends on standards that can be repeated.
Soonthorn uses standardised manuals for key tasks, including post-discharge cleaning, infection control support and waste handling. Daily checklists, safety training and shift briefings support these standards.
The purpose is control. Service quality cannot depend on individual interpretation, especially in high-use areas where cleaning, hygiene and waste processes affect wider site performance.
Repeatable standards help reduce variation across teams and shifts. They also give frontline colleagues a clear reference point for delivery, supervision and correction.
Risk Managed Through Daily Discipline
Healthcare FM carries operational risk across both visible and technical functions.
Backup power, surgical air conditioning, medical gas, wastewater, public-area safety, cleaning standards and waste routes all require disciplined oversight. Accreditation and safety expectations, including AHA requirements, add further pressure to maintain consistent site control.
Soonthorn’s earlier experience as a professional safety officer supports the way he manages this part of the operation. Risk control is built into routines, escalation and supervision rather than treated as a separate activity.
This matters because hospital continuity depends on the reliability of many service lines working together. When risk is managed through daily discipline, issues are more likely to be identified early and handled before they affect the wider operation.
Teams That Understand the Healthcare Environment
Processes set the standard. People determine whether the standard holds.
Soonthorn places strong emphasis on team readiness, communication and service mindset. In healthcare, technical task knowledge is not enough. Colleagues need to understand the environment they are working in, the people moving through it and the reason standards cannot slip.
Two-way communication, recognition, proper PPE provision and regular guidance help teams stay prepared across a 24/7 operating environment. This is especially important where staffing changes, contractor reliance and infection control requirements make continuous training essential.
A stable service environment starts with teams that understand both the task and the risk profile of the site.
Spaces That Support Hospital Flow
Hospital performance is influenced by how well the environment functions.
Waiting areas, corridors, accessible routes, shared spaces and recreation gardens all affect movement, comfort and confidence across the site. These areas sit outside clinical treatment, but they shape how people experience the hospital.
Soonthorn sees these spaces as part of FM’s responsibility. Maintained gardens with natural light, welcoming public areas and spaces designed for interaction help create an environment that feels organised, safe and usable.
This is not cosmetic. Well-managed spaces support flow, reduce friction and strengthen confidence in the site.
Recognising the Work Behind Healthcare Readiness
World FM Day recognises the people who keep essential environments operating.
Soonthorn’s work brings together planning, compliance, safety, workforce coordination and daily execution across a live hospital site. His leadership shows how disciplined FM delivery supports hospital readiness in practical, measurable ways.
Managers deploy teams with clear responsibilities. Teams escalate issues early. Standards are repeated across shifts. Spaces remain safe, accessible and prepared for daily operations.
In healthcare FM, readiness is built through repeatable standards, visible supervision and teams that understand the demands of the site. Soonthorn’s work shows how structured site leadership helps keep a complex hospital environment controlled, compliant and ready for the people who depend on it.