31-07-2025
Unprejudiced healthcare
It's a universal principle that hospitals must be free of discrimination. Unfortunately, this seems not to be the case for Ubon Ratchathani-based Sunpasitthiprasong Hospital, which has decided not to provide any medical services to Cambodians.
This is discrimination and a breach of human rights and humanitarian principles.
In an official note issued July 30, the hospital said it has closed its special medical clinic (SMC) to Cambodians, citing its heavy case load. This dubiously explained policy started yesterday and will run until Aug 10. The hospital will also stop hiring Khmer-speaking interpreters and will no longer provide accommodation for a group of volunteers who help with interpretation.
The hospital said any Cambodians currently receiving treatment at its inpatient ward will be subject to area restrictions.
Like some other hospitals in border provinces, the healthcare services at Sunprasitthiprasong -- a well-known regional hospital -- are popular among Cambodians living along the border, given their high quality.
It should be noted that the patients pay higher medical fees for treatment in the SMC ward. It is no secret that those higher up on the social ladder prefer to seek medical care at expensive private hospitals in Bangkok -- at least until the recent armed conflict broke out between Thailand and Cambodia.
Cambodian strongman Hun Sen, at the beginning of the conflict that stemmed from a clash on May 28 in the Chong Bok area of Ubon Ratchathani's Nam Yuen district, called for his compatriots to stop seeking medical services in Thailand.
This was part of the country's anti-Thai campaign as border checkpoints were closed one after another.
Sunpasitthiprasong Hospital said its decision will affect only new patients, whereas former or current patients can continue their treatment. It did not mention emergency cases, but it's understood that the new rule will also apply to them.
Such a decision seems to respond to noisy calls by some ultra-nationalist citizens -- as well as netizens engaging in wars of words -- over the past weeks amid the escalating armed conflict, that hospitals should stop serving Cambodian patients. Apparently, these narrow-minded racists misunderstand the nature of the SMC and the 30-baht healthcare scheme.
Needless to say, this policy will be played up by Cambodian media channels to cast Thailand in a bad light.
There are reports that the government and the Ad Hoc Centre for Thailand-Cambodia Border Situation gave a vague instruction to the hospital that it should adhere to the universal healthcare principle. The government must prohibit the hospital and other healthcare dispensers from adopting any policies based on racism.
After all, such discrimination is not acceptable. Breaching human rights principles will do more harm than good to Thailand's image and reputation. Such discrimination resulting from racism will unnecessarily fuel hatred among the peoples of the two countries, making reconciliation even harder.
Sunpasitthiprasong Hospital must not place itself in the middle of this conflict between the two governments. It must immediately review this racist policy, and not forget the mantra that sympathy must prevail for those in need of healthcare.
