Righting Wrongs

The Thai medical establishment seemed untouchable, until Preeyanan Lorsermvattana came along. Jinda Wedel finds out more

Preeyanan Lorsermvattana is the picture of not-so-quiet determination. The 48-year-old patients’ rights activist is adept at telling how she came to be at the forefront of the movement. “I used not to be able to talk about my story,” she says. “I would cry and hope others would speak for me.” Now she speaks simply and evenly, letting pauses hang in the air until she is satisfied that her words have made their mark. It is a story she has told many times; it is nonetheless never easy to hear.

Born to farmers in Chiang Rai, Preeyanan, along with her five siblings, struggled to make it through the education system because of the family’s financial situation. “I never got anything easily without having to make some effort,” she says. “I was never comfortable.” Nevertheless she graduated from Payap University in Chiang Mai, and, using her parents’ savings, began studying for an MA in England, though that fell through because of insufficient funds. “It was OK that I didn’t finish my studies, as being in Europe exposed me to the idea of human rights,” she says. “It opened my eyes to seeing how people’s rights were protected, unlike the way it is in Thailand.”

At 27, she returned to Thailand, married and began managing a guesthouse. She became pregnant, but what should have been a joyous occasion was marred by an allegedly bungled delivery and subsequent medical errors. “When my first child was born, everything changed,” says Preeyanan. Her son’s left hip was permanently damaged. He now has difficulty walking and is plagued by chronic back and leg pain. After having her concerns dismissed by the hospital, Preeyanan turned to the courts and started what would be a long struggle, as yet still unresolved, against the seemingly omnipotent Thai medical establishment. “I have lost almost everything in this fight,” she says. “There seems to be only injustice in every corner of Thai society, adding insult to injury.”

Preeyanan continued alone for 11 years, before she founded the Thai Medical Error Network (TMEN), a network of doctors, media, victims, lawyers and activists. For around five years, TMEN advocated for victims in and outside the courts. After a crisis in relations between doctors’ groups and patients’ rights groups, she changed tack. “Doctors make mistakes, because they are human,” she explains. “Making them go to jail or suing them all would mean no one would want to become a doctor.” Now she is focused on the passing of an act that establishes a victim compensation pool, funded by both private and public sources. Based on the Swedish Patient Injury Act, the intent is to reduce lawsuits between doctors and patients and reduce the number of repeated medical errors. It still must overcome many obstacles; the previous government was considering the act before parliament was dissolved, so it has been resubmitted for consideration. Besides political instability, the act also faces criticism from doctors. “Doctors wore black and protested,” says Preeyanan. “Private practices don’t want to pay into the fund.”

There have been positive changes. The Ministry of Public Health now encourages mediation between hospitals and patients. Hospitals are more open about their medical errors; for example, Khon Kaen Hospital helped raise surgical standards across the country when it revealed it had problems with its eye surgery equipment.

“People invite me to do other things, but I decline, saying this is what I do,” says Preeyanan. The mother of two works every day, once in a while taking time to meditate, jog or bicycle, though even those activities, she admits, are to help her cope with her job. “Every breath I take is dedicated to solving this issue,” she says.

AT A GLANCE

AGE 48
EDUCATION BA in business adminstration from Payap University in Chiang Mai
FAMILY STATUS Married with one son and one daughter
MOTTO Always act from a place of goodness and society will be on your side
ROLE MODELS HM King Bhumibol and Mahatma Gandhi