A group of doctors and medical professionals met the prime minister yesterday to voice their opposition to a bill aimed at protecting patients from medical malpractice.
The group said the principles behind the bill were good, but only a small number of people could benefit while it was detrimental to health professionals.
The group called on the bill to be withdrawn from next month's House session and certain conditions be altered or revoked.
Dr Prasobsri Ungthaworn said Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva did not say whether the bill, proposed by the Public Health Ministry, would be put on hold.
"If promulgated without alterations, the law will result in largescale divisions between patients and doctors, whose relationship now remains good," she said.
The bill is aimed at protecting patients from malpractice and compensating them or their kin handsomely in case they are injured, paralysed or killed during treatment. However, doctors and medical professionals say they are being put under unfair pressure to not make any mistakes, because the bill also subjects them to criminal prosecution.
Meanwhile, Deputy Public Health Minister Pansiri Kulnartsiri voiced her support for the Public Health Professionals bill, which she said would provide better public health services in suburban and remote areas.
The bill will redefine the role of more than 980,000 public health volunteers and give them moral support and allowances in exchange for better services. The bill was endorsed by the Cabinet on July 13 and will be vetted by the House in next month's session.