Sasikarn urges the Ministry of Public Health to undertake a major restructuring of the public health system, proposing three decisive measures following tragic events involving the husband of teacher Sai and a banquet held in an ICU.
On 27 July 2026, Ms. Sasikarn Watthana-chan, deputy spokesperson for the Ruam Thai Sang Chart Party and former government deputy spokesperson, posted on Facebook calling on the Ministry of Public Health to urgently reform the public health structure to restore public confidence after ongoing tragic incidents, including the death of teacher Sai’s husband in Ratchaburi province and, most recently, the death of a five-day-old infant at Ang Thong Hospital.
Ms. Sasikarn noted that although medical reports from Ang Thong Hospital state the infant’s death was due to disease severity, images of a banquet held inside the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) reveal clear neglect of basic infection control and safety standards by those in authority within the system.
“These two incidents reveal that the Ministry of Public Health is hiding a large amount of problems under the rug, and that rug is now being lifted with citizens’ lives at stake. We can no longer allow every loss to end with just a polished apology in the media,” Ms. Sasikarn said.
Ms. Sasikarn proposed three urgent structural reform measures for the Minister of Public Health to enforce decisively under the law: first, to apply strict legal control over hospital standards and safety, including immediate penalties under Section 50 to order improvements or suspend licenses if Ang Thong Hospital is found to pose health risks; second, for the Department of Health Service Support to investigate emergency patient screening and hold accountable those responsible in the Ratchaburi case without exception.
Second, to eradicate double standards and upgrade contracted hospitals, referencing the 2007 National Health Act Section 10 which guarantees citizens access to standardized public health services. She proposed a ministerial announcement to audit all health insurance-contracted hospitals nationwide. If found allowing unqualified personnel to work in critical units resulting in loss of life, sanctions should include reducing patient quotas or terminating contracts immediately (blacklisting).
Third, to hold hospital executives disciplinarily and criminally liable for negligence, ending the culture of internal investigation committees that delay justice and self-policing. If hospital executives neglect duties leading to deaths, they must face prosecution under Penal Code Section 157 (dereliction of duty or misconduct) and disciplinary punishment without exception.
Ms. Sasikarn concluded by emphasizing that it is time to clear the hidden problems once and for all to restore Thai people’s trust and to prevent all cases from ending merely with a polished public apology.