Hospital staff tell of red shirt fears
Published: 3/05/2010 at 01:52 AM
Online news: Local News
Doctors and medical staff have spoken of their distress and fear after red shirt protesters raided Chulalongkorn Hospital last week.
Representatives of a patients’ welfare network present flowers toManee Suesongtham, inspector at Chulalongkorn Hospital, at the Thai Journalists Association yesterday. Hospital staff spoke at a TJAorganised forum about the ordeal of working close to the red shirt protest site and the demonstrators’ raid on the hospital last Thursday. PAWAT LAOPAISARNTAKSIN
The red shirts' raid on Thursday forced the evacuation of more than 100 patients from the hospital and triggered public condemnation. Medical staff told a forum yesterday organised by the Thai Journalists Association that they were now living in fear.
The protesters agreed yesterday to allow access to the hospital's emergency unit in the face of growing public criticism.
Thammasak Thawitsri, an anaesthesiologist at the hospital, said staff were worried about their safety.
``We didn't know what to do, the hospital looks like a desolate place. I cannot hold back my tears,'' Dr Thammasak said. Supaporn Sritangsirikul, a C7 nurse, said staff felt unsafe.
Before they could enter the hospital, they had to pass through a checkpoint manned by red shirt protesters who demanded bag searches.
At one point the nurses heard continued gunshots and crouched in fear, she said. Then, a patient beeped for help and the nurses had to crawl into the patient's room to attend to him.
``Safety is the basic right of people,'' Mrs Supaporn said.
``If medical professionals feel unsafe, they will lose concentration and cannot deliver their services.
``We maintain our neutrality. We treat everyone, no matter who they are.''
Chulalongkorn Hospital deputy director Somrat Jarulaksananant said the hospital wanted to appeal to the red shirt demonstrators to keep away from the complex and to back away from areas around the King Rama IV statue near the Sala Daeng intersection where they have set up camp.
The protesters should allow reasonable distance between themselves and the hospital so hospital staff could deliver medical services effectively, he said.
Dr Somrat defended the hospital's decision to move patients to other hospitals following Thursday's raid.
He said it was not an overreaction. The evacuation was carried out for the safety of patients.
The hospital treats from 3,000 to 4,000 patients a day. The number has fallen by 20% since the red shirts occupied the area in front of the hospital last month, Dr Somrat said.
Hospital staff and doctors will gather today in front of the hospital's administration building to demand a safe environment to perform their duties.
A total of 140 patients have been evacuated to other hospitals _ 113 to hospitals in Bangkok and 27 in 13 other provinces. Public Health Minister Jurin Laksanavisit said yesterday the hospital had made the right decision to evacuate some of its patients.
The minister also denied an accusation from the red shirts that the government had closed part of the hospital complex in an attempt to discredit the protesters.
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