Bogus health clinics raided in Pathum Thani
The owners of 13 medical clinics in Pathum Thani face an array of charges following inspections by the authorities on Wednesday triggered by complaints that they were illegal operations.
The charges are opening and operating a medical facility without a permit and performing medical and dental services without a permit.
Immigration Bureau chief Pol Lt-General Surachet Hakpal led police and provincial public health officials on a tour of the clinics in Lam Lukka district.
Citizens claiming to be injured parties had filed complaints with the Royal Thai Police Thailand Action Taskforce for Information Technology Crime Suppression about clinics in Bangkok, Pathum Thani, Ayutthaya and Chon Buri.
Surachet, deputy director of the taskforce, said one clinic occupying a four-storey building in Lam Lukka had been operating for years without a licence and had no certified doctor on staff.
“People should beware of such clinics,” he said, vowing there would be more arrests. “You have to check if a clinic has a proper licence before seeking treatment there.”
Pathum Thani Public Health Office pharmacist Thanpitcha Sakpirarom said relevant authorities would be asked to determine whether the 13 clinics had provided substandard services, as had been alleged.
She said some of them did have licences, but not for the locations where they operated.