The two ambulances from Chanthaburi's Phra Chom Klao Hospital and Phetchaburi's Cha Am Hospital were examined yesterday by officials from the Office of Auditor-General (OAG), plus ambulance experts from various hospitals while the supplier Toyota Motor Thailand Co Ltd and media members observed.

The probe was to determine whether the attached medical equipment, structure and assembling methods met the contract's original specifications.

During the inspection, some parts of the patient beds - supposed to made of aluminium alloy - were found to be of other material, while a stretcher bent after a 95-kg person sat on it when it should hold up to 159 kilograms.

The oxygen cylinder's valves were found to be for industrial purposes and were not suitable for medical use.

An inspector, Colonel Chaliew Homwiset from the Police General Hospital, said the equipment was substandard

but, given the budget, was acceptable.

For example, a patient's bed normally cost Bt100,000, while this project bought it half that price, he said. The stretcher cost Bt1,000 - while a regular stretcher cost about Bt20,000.

OAG official Feungfa Thienprapasit said the ministry had paid Bt1.7 million per ambulance - excluding Bt300,000 to buy respiratory aid devices and a defibrillator - but it had bought low-priced equipment and generalised the specifications, leading to some lower grade materials being used.

With low pricing comes low-quality goods, she said.

Chulalongkorn University lecturer Dr Tul Sittisomwong said the equipment was generally useable but the oxygen cylinder's valves, which dangerously released up to 231 bars when 50 bars was needed, must be changed.

OAG Special Audit director Pisit Leelavachiropas said some parts of the two ambulances looked substandard but the OAG would wait for the experts' confirmation on the probe before drawing a conclusion. Based on the finds yesterday, the OAG will instruct regional auditors to make random checks on at least 10 more ambulances from the batch, Pisit said.

If the ambulances were found to be different from the contract's specifications, the supplier would be responsible for bringing them up to the required standard, Pisit said.

The panel assigned by the Public Health Ministry will determine if the committee that accepted the ambulances intentionally let them pass, he said.

The ambulance-purchase project has survived repeated cancellations of the bidding process. The purchase finally went ahead at Bt340 million for 232 ambulances - about Bt54 million lower than the initial bid price.