Surgery clinic whose client died lacks lifesaving gear

Surgery clinic whose client died lacks lifesaving gear

Authorities have yet to find malpractice evidence against a cosmetic surgery clinic of which patient died after a breast augmentation visit, but they have found it lacks essential life-saving equipment.

Health officials went to examine the clinic in Sanambin Nam area four times this month in response to a complaint that a client had died after a visit for breast augmentation, Dr Thares Krassanairawiwong, director-general of the Department of Health Service Support, said on Tuesday .

The officials never met the surgeon who worked there and only talked to its staff. They also could not find a medical record of the case. But from what they saw, the clinic did not have life-saving equipment, he said.

They also found evidence of lesser offences — a surgical room had been modified without permission, the clinic advertised procedures on social media without permission and the commercials misled the public, the director-general said.

The department was gathering evidence for a legal complaint against the alleged offences. The penalties are a jail term of up to one year and/or a fine of up to 20,000 baht.

Arkhom Praditsuwan, deputy director-general of the department, said the department would call the surgeon for interrogation.

Media reported that the client, 21, who had a four-year-old child, sought a breast augmentation procedure at the clinic, the name of which was withheld, on Oct 17. During the surgery, she allegedly went into shock and was rushed to a hospital.

She was pronounced dead of a heart attack on the following day. The clinic had insisted the surgery had not begun yet when she went into shock, but her family said there were cut marks on her chest.

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