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Published on November 5, 2007

 An accident victim whose family lost its land and ended up bankrupt over medical bills owed to a private hospital in Phitsanulok will plead her case at the provincial court on Friday. Yardpirun Peungmoung, 17, said an appointment had been set by the court to hammer out a settlement with the hospital's executives. She hoped the negotiations would help her family and allow their lives to return to normal.

On August 16, the hospital sued Yardpirun and her family for failure to pay Bt315,600 in medical bills. When they couldn't pay, the hospital demanded four rai of her family's land, she said.

Yardpirun was injured in an accident in April last year while driving her motorcycle to buy milk for her grandmother. A rescue team took her to the private hospital.

The teenager said she asked the hospital to refer her to Buddhachinaraj Hospital, where her medical bills would be covered under the universal healthcare scheme, but the hospital insisted she clear her bill first - Bt254,567 at that time.

The hospital later informed her father Ya he could use the family's land to guarantee payment of his daughter's medical bill.

It offered to help the family get a loan to redeem the land from the Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives, with whom the land was mortgaged.

Ya agreed, and received Bt61,000 from the hospital to redeem the land from the bank.

The hospital estimated the land was worth Bt200,000, so it asked Ya to sign another loan contract to cover the remainder of the medical bill.

"I was so stressed about the negotiations that I could not sleep well," Yardpirun said.

Meanwhile, another person seeking compensation from a private hospital is also seeking justice.

Preeyanan Lorsermwatta-na, whose son became disabled at birth after treatment at a private hospital in Bangkok, said her complaint for compensation was proceeding.

She said the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had asked the Medical Council to revise its investigation into her case within 30 days.

The NHRC found fault with the council's inquiry, which concluded that the hospital made no mistakes in its treatment. The commission found treatment at the private hospital violated the patient's basic human rights, and wanted the matter remedied by the end of this month.

Dr Amnaj Kussalanan, secretary-general of the Medical Council, said the agency would revise its inquiry into Preeyanan's case within the month.

Pongphon Sarnsamak

 The Nation