18-07-2025
Thaksin ‘could have been returned to prison hospital'
A doctor from the Police General Hospital told a court on Friday that former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra could have been returned to the Corrections Department hospital shortly after initial treatment.
Pol Col Dr Chana Jongchokdee, the on-duty physician on the night of Aug 22, 2023, said he was the first to examine Thaksin following his transfer from prison.
Thaksin had several pre-existing health conditions and required a consultation with a cardiologist. Although surgery was recommended, Thaksin declined to proceed, Dr Chana told the Criminal Court for Corruption and Misconduct Cases.
The court is looking into whether Thaksin's prison sentence was properly carried out, in response to allegations that he received preferential treatment and did not need to spend six months in the police hospital.
If the court finds the sentence was not properly carried out, it could order him to report to prison.
Dr Chana testified on Friday that all treatment was administered in accordance with medical ethics, noting he had no knowledge of transfer protocols between the prison and external hospitals.
In his professional opinion, Thaksin's condition stabilised soon after admission, and he could have been returned to the prison hospital. He also observed that Thaksin was able to sit on a sofa in his room, rather than being confined to bed.
Testifying alongside Dr Chana were five other medical personnel, including the current and former directors of the hospital. They stated that the 14th-floor room Thaksin was assigned to had previously been used for Covid-19 patients and was among the few available at the time.
Doctors who performed shoulder tendon surgery on Thaksin also submitted records showing he could have been discharged within seven days if no complications had occurred.
The court will reconvene on July 25 to hear testimony from representatives of the Medical Council of Thailand.
Thaksin, 75, was sentenced to eight years in prison — later reduced to one year by a royal pardon — after returning to Thailand in August 2023. He never spent a single night in jail, and became eligible for parole after six months.
Inmates are legally permitted to receive treatment outside prison for 120 days, but the Department of Corrections allowed him to continue his stay at the hospital for 180 days, saying that conditions in prison could threaten his life.
Thaksin paid all the costs for his six-month stay, including a VIP room on the hospital's 14th floor that cost 8,500 baht a night, a parliamentary committee was told in November.
