Doctor criticises repeat drinker cases as blood supplies run low
A Facebook page drew attention online yesterday, March 10, after it criticised how donated blood is being used for repeat emergency cases linked to heavy drinking, raising concerns about blood shortages and hospital resources.
In a post shared via the medical page “เรียนหมอ by หมอแกว หมอแนต”, the doctor wrote that it was regrettable to repeatedly use donated blood for patients described as regular drinkers who return to the hospital with the same complications, then resume drinking after discharge.
According to her, such cases often involve liver cirrhosis and perforated gastrointestinal conditions, with patients presenting with vomiting blood and passing blood.
In many admissions, doctors have to use 10 to 20 bags of blood, not including other resources required for treatment.
She alleged that after leaving the hospital, 99.99% of these patients do not stop drinking and later return with the same symptoms. Recently, the number of migrant patients with similar cases has been increasing and could overtake Thai patients, she claimed.
Donated blood supplies were described as frequently low, with hospitals facing shortages that leave some patients waiting. In some cases, patients were described as waiting until they became severely anaemic, with heart-related complications also mentioned.
She highlighted other groups that rely on regular transfusions, including children with thalassaemia who need blood every month to support growth, and kidney disease patients who may develop anaemia and require transfusions.
She also listed emergency uses for donated blood, including accident cases, major operations such as heart and abdominal surgery where blood must be reserved for theatres, severe bleeding after childbirth, and patients being treated for cancer or blood disorders.
Although care is provided equally, alcohol-related cases involving a perforated digestive tract are reportedly often treated as emergencies, meaning they may be given blood before other patients.
In follow-up posts, the doctor wrote that she expected criticism and defended her stance as a concern rather than a lack of professional ethics, stating that staff often work through the night and still provide full care.
Relatives were described as sometimes being unable to manage and leaving patients at the hospital, while staff faced shouting, aggression, threats, insults, and even spitting as nurses continued providing care.
She proposed a co-payment measure for repeat cases linked to heavy drinking or drug use, suggesting it could encourage patients to recognise the impact and give families more leverage to push for change.
Amarin TV reported that she also called for ending free treatment for these repeat cases, arguing the burden on donated blood and hospital resources was unsustainable.
The doctor also noted joining blood donation groups online and reading comments about how donors prepare their health before giving blood, describing donors as kind and committed, and urging people to continue donating.
In a separate development, the Phuket Red Cross (PRBC) and the Blood Bank at Vachira Phuket Hospital are urging locals to donate blood, with Rh-negative types especially needed as tourism drives up emergency demand.
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