Chulalongkorn Hospital suspends services for outpatients after protesters storm wards

BANGKOK, April 30 (TNA) – Bangkok’s King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital, near the epicentre of the Red Shirt anti-government protests, has suspended services for outpatients and transferred over 100 patients to other hospitals after protesters forced their way into the hospital Thursday night searching for troops.

Chulalongkorn hospital director Adisorn Patradul and Thai Red Cross Society secretary-general Phan Wannamethee told a press conference that the hospital decided to suspend services for outpatients, and accept no new patients, except for emergency incidents.

Dr Adisorn said the hospital apologises to new patients as it had to suspend its services until the situation eases, to ensure the safety of patients and staff.

However, the emergency room is still open but without emergency operations, he said.

The hospital director said there are some 600 patients admitted in the hospital, with round 100 which could be discharged to recover at home. The rest had transferred to other buildings on Henri Dunant Road which was considered safer for the patients.

As for Thailand’s Supreme Patriarch, the Sangharaja, head of the order of Buddhist monks, who is under treatment at the hospital, would remain at the hospital but is being moved to another building.

Mr Phan said that Chulalongkorn Hospital, operated by the Thai Red Cross Society, adhered to principles of the International Committee of the Red Cross, meaning that it responds with humanity and remains neutral. He affirmed that the hospital never asked or permitted police or military personnel or any persons to stay or hide in the hospital.

Through the entire afternoon, the hospital was in hectic as medical staff teamed up to transfer patients to other buildings and to other hospitals.

New born babies, patients using respirators, receiving blood transfusions, and aged patients were moved from the hospital.

A group of anti-government ‘Red Shirts’  from the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) led by one of the leaders, Payap Panket, also an opposition Puea Thai party MP, stormed Chulalongkorn Hospital Thursday night, searching for ‘hidden’ troops after receiving information that 200-300 military personnel were on hospital premises preparing to disperse the protesters.

Mr Payap pushed his Red Shirts into Chulalongkorn Hospital, forcing hospital authorities to make way for them to conduct a search of the premises, but the intruders found no troops. Two ‘suspects’ were detained by the protesters, but were later found to be construction workers.

The top Red Shirt leaders distanced themselves from the intrusion into Chulalongkorn Hospital, saying they had never ordered a search at the hospital.

UDD leader Weng Tojirakarn, himself a medical doctor, said the Red Shirts apologised to the hospital authorities, admitting that the move was inappropriate and offered to help the hospital in some way and promised that no search would occur again.

Meanwhile, Ministry of Public Health issued a statement urging the parties concerned to observe the Geneva Convention of 1949 which specifically protects people not taking part in the hostilities (civilians, health workers and aid workers) and those who are no longer participating in the hostilities, such as the wounded, sick and shipwrecked soldiers and prisoners of war.

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s Erawan Centre had reported that 124 patients were transferred from Chulalongkorn Hospital to 27 hospitals throughout Bangkok.

As of Friday morning, there were 600 patients at Chulalongkorn Hospital, 100 were discharged and 124 transferred to other hospitals, and 376 remained on the premises.(TNA)