Doctors who ignore injured are ‘unethical’
Written by changthai11 on Friday, October 10th, 2008
Doctors who ignore injured are ‘unethical’
Physicians taken to task over police stance
POST REPORTERS
Doctors who refuse to treat police risk breaching humanitarian principles and medical ethics, say human rights groups.
An alliance of human rights advocates yesterday called on doctors to change their stance and urged the Medical Council and the National Human Rights Commission to look into the affair.
Doctors at Chulalongkorn University’s faculty of medicine on Wednesday said they would not treat officers wounded during the clash at parliament on Tuesday between police and People’s Alliance for Democracy supporters.
Suthep Kolchanwit, the group’s leader, yesterday confirmed the doctors’ stance.
Fifty physicians, mostly surgeons at the faculty of medicine of Chulalongkorn and Chiang Mai universities, would refuse to treat police. Their stance is a reaction to the government’s use of violence to disperse demonstrators, they said.
“As doctors, we know that the best way to treat people is to tackle the cause. To me, it’s unethical to neglect the cause of death and injury,” Dr Suthep said.
Police will, however, receive proper medical treatment if they come to the hospitals in plain clothes or do not identify themselves as police.
Seventy doctors at Chiang Mai University’s faculty of medicine also decided against treating police, cabinet members and government MPs, except in emergency cases.
Hundreds of students and academics from Chulalongkorn and PAD supporters yesterday gathered at the statues of King Rama V and King Rama VI and started a week-long protest by wearing black.
Human rights advocates condemned the doctors’ move.
“This is not only a serious violation of medical ethics, it is also a breach of international humanitarian laws to which Thailand is a party,” they said. Their statement was signed by dozens of human rights activists and academics.
“The lives and rights of these officers should be protected the same as other people,” they said.
Chulalongkorn hospital’s deputy director Tirapong Jaroenwit and Prasong Siriviriyakul, the deputy dean of the university’s faculty of medicine, yesterday submitted a letter to the police chief saying that the hospital would continue to treat all patients regardless of their occupation or political beliefs.
The doctors’ protest had created misunderstandings among the public and affected the hospital’s image. It works under the auspices of the Thai Red Cross Society.
“We will strictly adhere to humanitarian principles and will treat all people equally,” they said.
Pol Sgt-Maj Pichet Pavichai from Nonthaburi said doctors should separate their personal feelings from their duty.
“I hope the doctors will still do their best to save lives,” he said.
Somsak Lohlekha, the Medical Council president, said the doctors’ action was not against medical ethics.
“Doctors have a right to decline treatment if they consider the case was not an emergency,” he said.
