Public health ministry seeking more information on ex-premier’s controversial hospital stay
An aide to Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsutin has called on the Medical Council of Thailand to submit missing documents related to the hospital treatment of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra within 15 days.
The documents are deemed critical for evaluating the conduct of three doctors that the council proposed to discipline for misrepresenting the medical condition of Thaksin. Their findings were used to justify allowing him to serve out his entire prison sentence on the VIP floor of Police General Hospital in Bangkok.
Vice-minister Thanakrit Jitareerat said on Wednesday that if the council provides the requested documents promptly, the 10-member committee that is reviewing its findings could reconvene and potentially wrap up its deliberations this week. Otherwise, another meeting could be held on Monday, he said.
All opinions expressed during the meeting will be submitted to Mr Somsak. In his role as honorary chairman of the council, he can decide whether to accept or reject the council’s resolution calling for disciplinary action against the three doctors.
The minister’s final decision will be sent to the council by May 30, Mr Thanakrit said.
“If Mr Somsak agrees with the council’s ethics committee to discipline the three doctors, then there is no need for any objections,” he said. “But if the minister overturns the resolution, he must provide reasons for doing so. That is at his discretion. Our committee does not have a duty to guide or persuade him to agree with us.”
If the minister disagrees with the decision, the issue will be sent back to the council. A two-thirds majority of the council’s full 70-member board is required to overrule the veto.
‘No external input’
Mr Thanakrit acknowledged that the Thaksin case has attracted a lot of public attention and stressed that his review committee was doing things strictly by the book in the interests of fairness.
“We have never held a predetermined stance; we follow the documents available.” he said. “The documents in our possession are entirely from the medical council. We do not accept documents from external parties.”
Mr Thanakrit said that the missing documents involved procedural steps, such as initial complaints filed with the council and reviews of those complaints by ethical and screening committees, and supporting evidence. These require detailed examination as they are vital to the deliberation of the case, he said.
He also addressed criticism against one of the committee members, who was accused of being biased after previously defending Thaksin.
“We must remain open-minded. The medical council has agreed to punish the doctors involved. We’re trying not to mention external matters, especially those relating to political parties,” said Mr Thanakrit. “You may express your own opinions, but this committee mainly investigates doctors.”
Some critics argue that the committee, largely composed of legal professionals, may have been formed to exploit legal loopholes to protect the doctors involved.
Mr Thanakrit dismissed these claims, noting that the committee also includes physicians to ensure a balanced, informed perspective.
He stressed that each member was chosen based on their trustworthiness and expertise.
From exile to VIP suite
Thaksin returned to Thailand on Aug 22, 2023, after 15 years in self-imposed exile.
On that day, he was taken to the Supreme Court, which sentenced him to eight years in prison for abuse of power and conflict of interest while serving as prime minister prior to 2006. The sentence was later reduced to one year by royal clemency.
On his first night at Bangkok Remand Prison, doctors determined that he should be transferred to Police General Hospital because he was suffering from chest pain, hypertension and low blood oxygen levels. It was stated that the prison hospital lacked the equipment and expertise to treat critically ill patients.
The former prime minister spent the next 180 days on the 14th floor of Police General Hospital, and was discharged on Feb 18, 2024, after being granted parole on grounds of age and ill health.
Thaksin paid all the costs for his six-month stay, including a VIP room on the 14th floor that cost 8,500 baht a night, a parliamentary committee was told last November.
On June 13 the Supreme Court’s Criminal Division for Holders of Political Position will open an inquiry into allegations that Thaksin’s prison sentence might not have been adequately enforced. The former premier and his daughter Paetongtarn, the current premier, have both been summoned to give evidence in person.
