Shortage of surgeons in the Deep South
When Private Passakorn Boonmaporn was rushed to Narathiwatratchanakarind hospital for emergency treatment after he sustained serious injuries from a roadside bomb in Narathiwat on August 6,
his rescuers expected that there would be surgeons to conduct operation on the victim. But there was none. Only general practitioners were available and they could not carry on the surgery.
Then the victim was rushed to the hospital in Su-ngai Kolok district which is about 100 kilometres away. But by the time Passakorn arrived there, he had lost a lot of blood from the wounds and was beyond help.
The shortage of surgeons or specialized doctors in the three southernmost provinces has been an unresolved problem for quite a long time. A temporary measure to cope with the problem is to seek cooperation from the Army Medical Department to dispatch a few surgeons to work in the region three weeks every month leaving about two weeks without any of them.
A long-term solution was devised. The first medical science faculty was opened at the Narathiwatratchanakarind University eight years ago.
Sixteen students were accepted to take course in medicines in the first year. Later on, 24 students were accepted each year.
Yet, none of them are surgeons. Those who graduated are general practitioners.
Dr Sanpong Rithraksa, a public health doctor in Narathiwat, admitted that the opening of the medical science faculty in Narathiwat had not solved the problem experienced by the Narathiwatratchanakarind hospital because the faculty produced only general practicioners and not specialized doctors, particularly surgeons.
As a temporary respite, Group Captain Noppadol Thitwattanasakul, commander of the southern Marine task force, said that specialized doctors would be dispatched from the Navy medical science department to Narathiwat to help out.
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Caption : Narathiwatratchanakarind hospital