BANGKOK: Thailand’s Medical Council suspended two doctors on Thursday (May 8) over alleged ethical violations linked to treatment given to former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra following his return from exile.
Thaksin, 75, returned to Thailand in August 2023 after more than a decade overseas and was sentenced to eight years in prison for corruption and abuse of power upon arrival.
However, he was transferred almost immediately from a detention centre to a private room in Bangkok’s Police General Hospital for health reasons and never spent a night in a cell.
His transfer, and the timing of his return, which coincided with his Pheu Thai party forming a new government, fuelled public suspicion of a backroom deal and allegations of special treatment.
The Medical Council of Thailand said its ethics committee voted to suspend two doctors involved in issuing medical certificates for the ex-premier, citing discrepancies between their reports and his actual condition.
“It is a consequence of a sub-par professional work,” the Council’s Vice President Prasit Watanapa told reporters after the meeting.
He said that a third doctor who was involved in less “severe consequences” will receive a letter of warning.
“It is indeed a very harsh punishment for any doctors,” he added, without saying how long the suspensions would last.
The disciplinary decision will be submitted to the Minister of Public Health for final approval.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asia/thailand-suspend-two-doctors-ex-pm-thaksin-shinawatra-hospital-5117316
