Health Minister denies thousands of flood deaths in the South

Pattana Promphat, Minister of Public Health (MOPH), responded at Government House on December 2, 2025, to claims made by Pol Gen Surachate Hakparn, the former Deputy National Police Chief, who disputed the MOPH’s official death toll for the flood-affected areas of Hat Yai District, Songkhla Province, asserting that the number of fatalities was in the thousands.

Pattana stated, "If he chooses to believe that, he may. The MOPH's information is the factual truth."

He explained that the high number of body storage units seen was due to the necessary classification process.

"When bodies are received, they are categorised. Bodies upon initial arrival are kept in one section, and after the autopsy is completed, they are moved to another section of storage units. This makes it look like there are a high number of deceased persons," he clarified.

He affirmed that the MOPH's figures are verifiable through death certificates, and the victims' relatives can serve as witnesses.

He added that he was not concerned about the counterclaims.

When asked about Surachate launching the website Hakparn.com for victims' relatives to register with evidence, Pattana dismissed it, saying:

"I don't think so, because ultimately, the evidence of death must be issued by the Department of Provincial Administration. Additionally, an autopsy will determine when and from what cause the person died. Submitting information via that website cannot definitively prove anything, as establishing a death requires a legal and forensic process. The MOPH has fully completed these processes."

He confirmed that the Ministry has also set up a hotline for the public to report missing or deceased persons.

He reaffirmed that the Ministry has not changed its official figures to the alarming number of thousands, as reported in online news.

He noted that the MOPH has not received any reports of missing persons through its system, but he could not speak for other agencies.

When questioned whether the combined number of fatalities and missing persons across all flood-affected provinces in the Southern region would reach the thousands, Minister Pattana replied that he expected it would not.

He reiterated that the final death count will be determined by the official death certificates. He added that, as the Minister overseeing the MOPH, he could not speculate on Surachate's motives for making such a public statement.

Finally, when asked if the figure being under a thousand was due to separating deaths by drowning from other causes, Pattana confirmed that the number the MoPH reported yesterday was 140 fatalities, counted from December 1, 2025.

He stood by this figure. The breakdown of how many deaths were due to drowning versus other causes is currently in the forensic process and is expected to be completed within the next one to two days.

He concluded by assuring that all MOPH hospital staff are focused on treating patients and do not need to "monitor" anything else.

He acknowledged the immense difficulties doctors and nurses faced during the height of the crisis, which caused him personal sleepless nights.

The focus is now on the recovery phase, with mental health teams being deployed to the area, as well as medical teams to address diseases stemming from the floods, such as leptospirosis.