Public Health Ministry ordered to pay Bt4.4 million for malpractice

Published on Jan 31 , 2006
Nonthaburi Provincial Court Tuesday awarded Bt4.4million compensation to the family of a six-year-old boy who became a handicap as a result of malpractice during treatments for his tooth decay.

The young victim, Chanayuth Patangtha-ne, was now living with mental disability and atrophied limbs.

In its verdict, the Public Health Ministry was ordered to pay Bt3.4 million to Chanayuth and Bt1.07million to his mother Tiwakarn Onyai.

The ministry was held responsible because the malpractice took place at one of its hospitals, Chumsaeng Hospital in Nakhon Sawan, where Chanayuth sought tooth fillings for decays in March 2003.

According to the court, dentist Waleewan Weerapong failed to give tranquilliser to Chanayuth before conducting the tooth fillings despite the fact that the boy, who was just three years old at that time, was so scared.

Waleewan also failed to wait for the young boy to calm down but instead ordered the boy strapped to the dentist's chair to give the fillings.

During the treatment, Chanayuth suffered from a shock and stopped breathing.
Although the medical staffs rushed him to emergency unit and revived him with a defibrillator, his brain suffered from the loss of oxygen for some time.

Due to his serious conditions, Chanayuth was referred to the better equipped Sawan Pracharak Hospital and then to Phramongkutklao Hospital. However, the boy has never fully recovered and became a mental handicap with atrophied limbs.

With the help of Leena Jang Foundation, Tiwakarn filed a Bt12million-compensation lawsuit against the Public Health Ministry on August 4, 2003.

more info at:
www.dreddyclinic.com