A man who parked his pickup truck behind an ambulance is accused of disrupting the emergency transfer of a critically ill patient at Plaipraya Hospital in Krabi province.
The patient later died from respiratory failure.
The hospital issued a statement on Saturday to explain the incident, which took place on Thursday, Oct 16.
At 11.10pm, staff were preparing to transfer a male patient suffering from acute myocardial infarction and respiratory failure to Krabi Hospital.
At 11.15pm, a brown Toyota pickup truck was parked closely behind the designated ambulance, blocking its rear door.
The truck was transporting a 69-year-old woman patient. The hospital said the head nurse explained the critical situation to the relatives and asked them to wait, providing a bed for their mother. However, the family complained loudly about the lack of immediate attention.
When staff were ready to load the critical patient into the ambulance, the truck was still blocking the way. Staff and the family of the critical patient pleaded with the driver to move the vehicle, but he continued to argue angrily for some time before eventually complying.
The critical patient, who was the father of the family, died later that night.
The hospital said the actions of the truck owner “obstructed urgent duties of the medical team”.
According to Thairath Online, a daughter of the deceased, Pattaraporn Panich, 29, said she believed a faster transfer might have saved her father.
Plaipraya Hospital director Dr Natthapong Doo-Ngam told Thairath the hospital has assigned its legal team to gather evidence and consider reporting to police on Monday.
