The parents of a baby boy who died aged five days have asked for an investigation after he reportedly developed a new bloodstream infection while in a neonatal intensive care unit at a hospital in Ang Thong. Their concerns centre on a Chinese-style banquet held in the same ICU room, beside babies' incubators, the day before their son's condition suddenly deteriorated. The family approached Paweena Hongsakul, president of the Paweena Hongsakul Foundation for Children and Women, for assistance on 23 July. The boy was born prematurely by Caesarean section on 17 July, at about eight months' gestation, weighing 4,305 grams. Doctors diagnosed pulmonary hypertension and placed him in the neonatal ICU on a ventilator. Condition had appeared to improve The parents said doctors had told them during the first three to four days that their son's condition was improving. Medication was being reduced and there were plans to transfer him to a children's hospital if he remained stable. However, when the family arrived to visit on 20 July, they said they found a Chinese-style banquet under way inside the neonatal ICU. They described several tables for hospital executives, doctors, nurses and other medical staff in the same area as the children's incubators, separated only by transparent curtains. They also said catering staff were entering and leaving the room. When they tried to see their son, they were told it was inconvenient because the event was taking place. The parents questioned whether holding such an activity in an area they understood to be sterile could have been connected to their son's later infection. They said doctors told them at the time that the baby was inside an incubator and was unlikely to have been exposed to infection. Autopsy results are awaited On the morning of 21 July, the hospital called the family and asked them to come urgently after the baby's condition became critical. Doctors said he had developed a "new bloodstream infection" before he later died. His death certificate recorded pulmonary hypertension as the cause of death, which further prompted the family to seek clarification. They had also noticed apparent abnormalities around their son's skull and ankles. Paweena accompanied the parents to the Institute of Forensic Medicine at Police General Hospital to receive preliminary autopsy findings. Doctors found some physical abnormalities, but said detailed examination results would take about 30 to 45 days. Paweena has coordinated with Pol Col Kantaphon Thanathip Pinsakul, superintendent of Samko Police Station in Ang Thong, to arrange the forensic examination. She said she would also ask Dr Thaweechok Rojanaramphankul, Ang Thong provincial public health doctor, to examine the hospital's practices and ICU patient-care procedures, in the interests of fairness to all sides. Picture courtesy of Daily News Join the discussion? 24 July 2026
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