Thai hospital suspends doctor amid medication sale probe
The Veterans General Hospital in Bangkok has suspended a female doctor from her medical duties amid an investigation into allegations of selling medication outside the hospital. The hospital assures a fair inquiry for all parties involved.
The incident came to light when Thanadet Phengsuk, a Bangkok Member of Parliament from the People’s Party and deputy chairperson of the Military Commission, shared a post on the X (formerly Twitter). The message condemned the unethical actions of a senior military doctor affiliated with the Veterans Hospital.
The doctor is accused of orchestrating a scheme to illicitly sell medication by instructing patients to consume sweets, fatty foods, and sleep less to feign illness, thereby necessitating more prescriptions. Thanadet urged an immediate investigation to halt this corrupt practice and to scrutinise other doctors involved.
The hospital director, Doctor Jittima Preecha, signed an official order yesterday addressing the situation. The order, issued by the Veterans Hospital, states that to ensure smooth operations and ascertain all facts clearly while maintaining fairness, the doctor in question, a specialist with a salary grade of 10, is suspended from medical examinations. She will instead take on administrative duties at the hospital’s director’s office until the investigation concludes, reported KhaoSod.
In response to the allegations, a statement from the hospital’s director assured that results from the inquiry would be available within seven days, as reported by local media.
In similar news, in September last year, the Public Health Ministry launched an investigation into allegations that a state-run hospital doctor has been illegally working at multiple private hospitals, despite receiving extra pay under a non-competition clause.
Dr Sawat Apiwachaneewong, Public Health Ministry inspector for Participatory Health Region 12, confirmed that the Yala Provincial Public Health Office formed a committee to probe the claims. The specialist, based at Yala Hospital, was named in a Facebook post by the Anti-Corruption Organisation of Thailand (ACT) on the Watchdog Operation page, though his identity was withheld.
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