THE Medical Council’s vote yesterday (June 12) upholding a decision to warn one doctor and suspend the licence of two others for allowing de facto Pheu Thai boss Thaksin Shinawatra to stay at Police Hospital rather than prison for six months until he was paroled can be appealed but there is also criminal penalty looming, TV Channel 7 quoted Mr. Somchai Srisutthiyakorn, a former election commissioner, as saying this morning (June 13).
Meanwhile Thaksin did not this morning leave his Chan Song La residence to attend a hearing by the Supreme Court judges in charge of criminal lawsuits against persons in political positions of a case over his medical treatment at a premium ward of Police Hospital sending a team of lawyers to do so on his behalf.
Somchai said the disciplinary ruling is an administrative order that can be appealed within 90 days but as they are civil servants they could be charged under Section 157 of the Criminal Code.
Further consequences of the disciplinary resolution are as follows:
(1) A warning means that the doctor did something wrong and should not do so again while allowing him to continue practicing medicine as usual. However, this will be jotted down in his civil service record as a previous negligence of duty, but this is not a serious step.
(2) A suspension of a doctor’s licence for a limited time, such as three or six months, means he cannot practice medicine during this period, whether in a government hospital, private hospital or private clinic. However, he can still work in other professions.
(3) A doctor whose licence has been suspended but is concurrently a hospital administrator can continue performing administrative duties and receive his salary as usual. However, he may not check illnesses, visit patients and receive special income from such activities.
(4) A doctor whose licence has been suspended but concurrently holds other positions, such as assistant to the national police chief, state enterprise board member or energy company board member, can continue performing these duties and receive a salary and meeting allowance and other benefits because this is not related to practicing medicine.
(5) All punishments issued by the Medical Council’s administrative order can be appealed to the Administrative Court within 90 days of receiving the official order.
(6) Criminal punishment may still be looming because they are all civil servants and can be charged under Section 157 of the Criminal Code for misconduct which carries a prison sentence and dismissal from government service.
CAPTIONS:
Top and Front Page: De facto Pheu Thai boss Thaksin Shinawatra. Photos: Thai Rath
First insert: The gate to Thaksin’s residence remained shut this morning, June 13, 2025. Photo: Thai Rath
Second insert: Former election commissioner Somchai Srisutthiyakorn. Photo: Thai Rath
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