No air-con but specialist care for Thaksin: Police Hospital chief
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Former Thai PM Thaksin Shinawatra was transferred to The Police General Hospital after he developed chest pain and had low oxygen readings, in Bangkok, on Aug 23.
PHOTOS: EPA-EFE,REUTERS
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BANGKOK - The Police General Hospital’s chief said on Wednesday that former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra was not getting any special privileges while in remand, after some 15 years in exile and being jailed on a series of criminal charges.
Thaksin is being closely monitored by a team of six doctors after he was rushed to hospital early on Wednesday.
Mr Soponrat Singhajaru, the hospital’s director-general, denied that Thaksin had been placed in a VIP ward on the 14th floor of a 20-storey building.
He said Thaksin had been placed in a non-airconditioned room on the 14th floor, where Covid-19 patients were once treated.
“Air-conditioning on that floor is out of order, so two fans are being used for ventilation,” he said.
Mr Soponrat also insisted that Thaksin’s room does not have a good city view either, as rooms on that side of the building get direct sunlight and heat up during the day.
He said the Royal Thai Police had not been informed in advance of Thaksin being admitted to hospital as his transfer was an emergency.
According to the hospital chief, Thaksin had suddenly developed chest pain and had low oxygen readings. His blood pressure was also very high and he was taken to the hospital ward of the Bangkok Remand Prison on his first night behind bars.
“Doctors at the prison hospital tried to bring down his blood pressure but failed, so they decided to send him urgently to the police hospital in the middle of the night,” Mr Soponrat said.
He added that while medical staff at the prison hospital are capable, Thaksin’s condition required specialist care and advanced medical equipment as his systolic blood pressure reading had risen.
Thaksin was immediately given a saline drip and placed under the care of lungs, heart and Covid-19 specialists.
The former PM was not handcuffed because the law does not require inmates below 16 and above 70 years old to be cuffed, Mr Soponrat added.
He said the medical team is in the process of getting Thaksin’s medical records from his hospital overseas to ensure he is getting the correct treatment, and that three officials from the Corrections Department have been deployed to watch over him while he is being treated.
As of now, he cannot tell how long the former PM will be in hospital.
Pathumwan Police Station will provide security for the building where Thaksin is being accommodated.
Mr Soponrat said that Thaksin’s condition has improved slightly, but he still requires oxygen as his blood pressure is still high and he is out of breath.
No visits are allowed at present and it is up to the Corrections Department to decide whether Thaksin can be moved to a private hospital, he noted. THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
