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Published on December 14, 2007

The Thung Song criminal court on December 6 found Dr Suthiporn Kraimak guilty of causing a patient's death by injecting anaesthetic into the spinal canal and sentenced her to three years in jail.

Public Health Minister Mongkol na Songkhla said the verdict had discouraged medical workers and doctors across the country, which is why the ministry felt it was necessary to hire legal representations for not only Suthiporn but all medical personnel being sued by patients.

"Many doctors do not want to treat patients because they fear they will be sued by the patient in case of a medical error that could happen unexpectedly. That's why we need to hire legal assistance," he said.

Mongkol said many doctors working in public hospitals, particularly in rural areas, had no legal assistance when sued for malpractice. Many of them had lacked the money to hire a lawyer and were then punished by the court

The health ministry is setting up a fund to pay for lawyers to help Suthiporn appeal her conviction. If the case is successful, the ministry will hire lawyers permanently to work on other cases in the courts.

Mongkol said the ministry also planned to set up a committee to help doctors and patients negotiate compensation in malpractice cases before they reach court.

Preeyanant Lorsermwatthana, a coordinator of the Network of Victims of Medical Malpractice, said patients would benefit from the setting up the committee because they would not have to hire lawyers to fight their cases in court.

"The problem will not end if the ministry hires lawyers to fight cases against patients," she said. "Many patients do not even want to sue, they just want the doctor to tell them the truth and say sorry."

Pongphon Sarnsamak

 The Nation