A total of 106 medical doctors from Thailand’s three top state hospital medical schools, Siriraj, Ramathibodi and Chulalongkorn, have joined in their support for the Medical Council, in light of the current showdown between the council and Public Health Minister Somsak Thepsuthin, in his capacity as the special chairman of the council.
The doctors support Professor Prasit Watanapa MD, the incumbent vice chairman of the council, and Professor Amorn Leelarasamee MD, head of the council’s ad hoc investigative subcommittee, which was tasked with probing the ethical conduct of the doctors responsible for the treatment of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra at the Police General Hospital (PGH) from August 2023 until February last year.
The group has called on all members of the council to maintain justice, medical ethics and righteousness, to restore the honour of all medical practitioners throughout the country.
On May 8th, the council found two doctors at the PGH and a third from the Corrections Department’s hospital had engaged in ethical misconduct. It decided to suspend the medical licenses of the two senior doctors from the PGH and to issue a warning to the one from the Corrections Department’s hospital.
The three doctors have appealed to Public Health Minister Somsak for justice. The council’s ruling is now being considered by Somsak, who has set up a panel to consider the ruling. This panel recently asked for additional evidence from the Medical Council, but the council rejected the request, claiming that it had already provided sufficient evidence.
The panel is expected to submit its recommendation to Somsak today or tomorrow.
According to Thanakrit Chitarirat, vice minister of public health and a member of the panel, they can either agree with the Medical Council’s and ruling and explain why, agree but without giving any explanation or reject the ruling and explain why.
As the special chairman of the council, Somsak can either veto or accept the council’s ruling. In case of a veto, the council will need the support of two-thirds of all its members to uphold its decision to suspend the medical licenses of the two PGH doctors.
