"There have been so many malpractice cases against doctors in the past which the Medical Council ruled were groundless, but the courts finally decided in the patients' favour," said the network's chairwoman, Preeyanan Lorsemwattana.

She said the Royal Thai Police would be asked to revoke its memo requiring officers to seek the Medical Council's opinion before accepting malpractice complaints against doctors.

"It's better to let the courts decide, not the Medical Council," she said.

To ensure justice to both sides, Preeyanan urged relevant authorities to allow patients to make photocopies of their health files at hospitals or other medical facilities as soon as they felt that their treatment had affected their health.

"Criminal action should be introduced against those who alter, damage or conceal the health files," she added.

Preeyanan suggested that a neutral organisation be established to determine the cause of damage to a patient's health and that a fund be set up to compensate malpractice victims.