"Please wait for the facts to emerge," Mongkol said in response to the Office of the Auditor General's suggestion that the ambulances, which were purchased and accepted by his ministry, were of substandard quality.

According to news reports, a letter signed by Auditor General Khunying Jaruvan Maintaka was sent to Mongkol saying abnormal assembling had compromised the quality of the vehicles and many items of equipment did not have certificates of quality assurance.

The letter asked the Public Health Ministry to instruct relevant hospitals to keep the high-performance ambulances in their original condition and not allow any modifications or changes, pending further examination.

Mongkol yesterday said he had yet to receive the letter.

In a related development, the ministry's inspector general Dr Kittisak Klabdee held a press conference to rebut the allegations that the ambulances were below standard. "Every time we inspected the ambulances for acceptance, representatives from the Office of the Auditor General were present," Kittisak said in his capacity as the chairman of the panel to examine the high-performance ambulances.

He said he trusted Toyota Motor (Thailand) to provide good-quality products.

"It has submitted all the certification," Kittisak said, adding the ambulances were provided according to his panel's requirements.

Phra Nangklao Hospital's director Dr Prapon Tangsrikiatkul said his hospital received a high-performance ambulance on August 8 and had used it to assist 56 patients already.

"The ambulance works efficiently," he said.

Kittisak said he would welcome an investigation by a neutral committee to ensure transparency.

Meanwhile, former MP Dr Warong Dejkijwikrom suggested the Office of the Auditor General dig deeper into the purchase of the high-performance ambulances from the perspective of how the specifications were devised.

"The acceptance of the ambulances is like a bruise. How the specifications were rigged time and again are chronic wounds that need attention," Warong said.

According to Warong, the specifications were rigged when Sudarat Keyuraphan was at the helm of the Public Health Ministry. When Suchai Charoenratanakul became the public health minister, the bids for the right to supply the high-performance ambulances were cancelled seven times and new specifications were laid down allegedly to suit only a few contenders.

"I have confidential documents signed by Suchai. The documents suggest that authorised officials were reckless in preparing the specifications," Warong said, adding he was ready to testify to the Office of the Auditor General or the National Counter Corruption Commission.

Duangkamon  Sajirawattanakul

The Nation