Hospital blunder blamed for death of pregnant wife and unborn son

[snoop1130]

Photo via Matichon

 

By Petch Petpailin

 

A Thai man is seeking justice following the tragic deaths of his pregnant wife and unborn son, attributing their demise to a misdiagnosis at a hospital in the Si Racha district of Chon Buri.

 

The 39 year old man, Wissanu Kirdchor, transported the bodies of his 39 year old wife, Lampai Pew-on, and their unborn son to their home province of Nakhon Ratchasima in Isaan for a funeral. The devastating incident occurred on November 24 in Chon Buri at approximately 10.30pm.

 

Wissanu revealed his intention to seek justice for his family, suspecting that the medical team at the hospital in Chon Buri made a diagnostic error. His wife was later found to have pre-eclampsia, a multi-system disorder during pregnancy, but a doctor initially diagnosed her with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

 

In an interview with the media at the funeral, Wissanu recounted taking his seven month pregnant wife to the hospital on November 24 because she was unwell and experiencing stomach pain.

 

Following the initial diagnosis, the doctor concluded that his wife was suffering from GERD, prescribed medication, and advised them to return home to rest. While waiting for the medication, Lampai was sweating profusely, but the doctor insisted they go home.

 

During the journey, Lampai asked Wissanu to stop at a petrol station so she could use the bathroom. She appeared extremely exhausted, so he supported her as she walked to the facilities.

 

 

When they arrived home, Lampai began vomiting and urinating blood. Wissanu contacted an emergency medical unit via the 1669 hotline but the responders merely advised her to breathe deeply.

 

Dissatisfied with the advice, Wissanu decided to rush his wife to the hospital himself. Tragically, both Lampai and her unborn child died on the way. Although the doctor later attempted to administer CPR, it was to no avail.

 

An autopsy revealed that Lampai allegedly died from pre-eclampsia, not GERD as the doctor initially diagnosed.

 

Wissanu expressed frustration, stating that he and his wife provided the doctor with detailed descriptions of her symptoms, emphasising the seriousness of her condition and requesting to remain at the hospital for treatment.

 

However, the doctor insisted they return home. He has since lost trust in the hospital and is demanding accountability from the medical staff involved.

 

As of now, the hospital’s name remains undisclosed, and no representatives from any medical centre have come forward to clarify the matter.

 

Source: The Thaiger

-- 2024-11-28

 

 

[hotchilli]

13 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Wissanu expressed frustration, stating that he and his wife provided the doctor with detailed descriptions of her symptoms, emphasising the seriousness of her condition and requesting to remain at the hospital for treatment.

 

However, the doctor insisted they return home. He has since lost trust in the hospital and is demanding accountability from the medical staff involved.

How tragic... I hope he gets some justice and eventually peace.

[jippytum]

This poor man did everthing possible to save his wife's life in the traumatic hours before her death. 

Doctors are not infallible but had she been admitted as the husband requested her life might well have been saved. 

[kidneyw]

14 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Wissanu contacted an emergency medical unit via the 1669 hotline but the responders merely advised her to breathe deeply.

Feel really sorry for the husband. The hospital doctor and the emergency services really let him down.

[Thingamabob]

Surgical skills in Thailand are good. diagnoses less so. Very sorry for Wissanu's tragic loss, and hoping his wife and unborn will rest in peace.

[JimHuaHin]

Ashame the doctor and hospital cannot be named.

 

But, on the other had, this could be indication of the pressure that the (public) health care system is under - too many patients, not enough doctors and nurses.

[mdr224]

Very sad. The more i read here the less i trust thailands medical care

[steven100]

The doctor and the hospital staff will all be ducking & weaving of any responsibility.    TIT ... 

[watchcat]

On 11/28/2024 at 9:53 AM, snoop1130 said:

A Thai man is seeking justice following the tragic deaths of his pregnant wife and unborn son, attributing their demise to a misdiagnosis at a hospital in the Si Racha district of Chon Buri.

 

Sue the bastards hard.

[Yagoda]

20 hours ago, mdr224 said:

Very sad. The more i read here the less i trust thailands medical care

Yeah because only in Thailand do doctors screw up

[JimHuaHin]

The problem of misdiagnosis happens in most, if not every, country.

 

On the other hand, many public hospitals in Thailand are understaffed, and medical staff are under a lot of pressure.

 

I generally go to my local government hospital.

 

On my last visit to the hospital's general outpatients clinic, a staff member told me that there was going to be about 50 patients to be seen by one doctor over the 3-4 hours that the clinic was open.

 

Ever 5 months I have an appointment to see a specialist at one of the specialist clinics.  To avoid waiting for 5-6+ hours to see the doctor, I usually arrive at the hospital at about 1500, go to the clinic to get into the queue, go and have my blood tests, then back to the clinic and wait.  Usually my queue number is around 160-180; in other words, the doctor has to see around 160-180 patients over about a 9 hour period.

[watchcat]

On 11/28/2024 at 9:53 AM, snoop1130 said:

When they arrived home, Lampai began vomiting and urinating blood. Wissanu contacted an emergency medical unit via the 1669 hotline but the responders merely advised her to breathe deeply.

 

Wissanu should sue the cr*p out of them. Good luck Mr Wissanu.

[john donson]

sue the hospital or MD, they have insurance for that, right?

 

name and shame if he has no money... up to him, if he has nothing to lose

[richard_smith237]

On 11/29/2024 at 7:40 AM, jippytum said:

This poor man did everthing possible to save his wife's life in the traumatic hours before her death. 

Doctors are not infallible but had she been admitted as the husband requested her life might well have been saved. 

 

Agreed....  they are not infallible - but misdiagnosing this this medical issue (pre-eclampsia) as GERD is wholly negligent..    

- the hypertension alone should have been enough for doctors to take great concern, especially as the lady was pregnant, a urology screening would provide further evidence. 

 

This was a gross failure in the duty of care by the doctors. 

 

The difficult of course is that to win a case to court an expert witness will be needed and the Thai medical industry is notoriously tightly nit, with doctors facing the thread of not being able to work at the same or another hospital when offering support to someone in such a case (how do I know this ?....  I'm close friends with a number of Doctors and Surgeons in Thailand).

 

Firstly there is the Burden of Proof: Patients must establish that the healthcare provider breached the standard of care, directly causing harm. This often necessitates expert medical testimony and comprehensive evidence, which can be difficult to obtain.

 

Then there are the Cultural Factors: Thai society places significant respect on medical professionals, which may lead to reluctance in pursuing legal action against them. This cultural context can influence both the willingness to file claims and the outcomes of such cases.

 

Also there are Compensation Limitations: Thai courts typically award damages based on actual, quantifiable losses, such as medical expenses and lost income. Compensation for non-economic damages like pain and suffering is less common and generally lower than in Western jurisdictions.

 

Then there are the Legal Costs and Duration: Litigation can be time-consuming and expensive, with cases potentially taking years to resolve. The hospitals have a far bigger legal teams, and financial and emotional toll often deter some patients from pursuing legal action.

 

 

I know people who have sued a hospital and won their case (after gross negligence and the loss of their child at birth and misdiagnosis) - I know others who failed in a similar case. 

 

I think the outlook depends firmly on the strength of the legal team supporting this poor man. 

 

One thing is important for such legal procedures and that is to ensure Doctors are held accountable for negligence while also understanding that medicine is complex and sometimes effective diagnoses cannot be made in time.