Goverment mulls amnesty bill to protect “medical officials” from legal consequences

The government is pondering an amnesty bill that would grant medical officials connected with fighting Covid, legal protection against criminal charges to enable government operations/government officials to deal with the Covid situation. Also, the bill will allow the officials to make “tough decisions” sans legal consequences, says Thai government officials.

The somewhat opaque announcement did not clarify what “criminal charges” the medical officials were looking at before this bill.

Anutin Charnvirakul, the Public Health Minister, said today that the proposed draft law/amnesty bill would give legal protection to medical service staff, doctors, and others involved with the Covid situation… So, they won’t have to fret about “liability charges” or criminal charges concerning the Covid situation, vaccine rollout, and similar issues.

The health minister says the law is intended to protect these various officials from “legal battles” and criminal charges as they are working very hard at tackling Thailand’s Covid situation. Anutin does say the draft is still being prepared and has not been proposed to the necessary departments.

He went on to say that the draft bill would bolster confidence with Covid officials and alleviate concerns about diagnosis, medical treatment, vaccine procurement and other medical decisions. Further, that the government wants medical officials to have full morale right now. Also, that this draft law would benefit the Thai people and Covid patients in the end.

The health minister, who has a history of making questionable statements, did not clarify how doctors being immune from legal ramifications would benefit their patients.

The “Move Forward Party” alleges that such laws are essentially legal “get out jail free cards” when it comes to prosecution for top officials such as the Prime Minister… And the health minister. The MFP also claims that such a law uses medical officials as straw men to hide the fact that it’s the top government officials who want to avoid legal consequences.

SOURCE: The Pattaya News