A Kanchanaburi care centre linked to allegations of confinement and mistreatment was ordered permanently closed yesterday, October 7, after officials found cage-like beds, locked barred rooms, and unauthorised psychiatric care.
The closure followed allegations from a mother referred to as Phat, who said her son had her taken to the centre against her will and kept her there for more than two years. She alleged she was restrained, forced to take medication and subjected to harsh conditions before relatives helped her leave.
The Department of Health Service Support revoked the operating licence of Sothonchai Nursing Home in Tha Muang district, saying the facility failed required standards and provided services beyond the scope of its licence.
Deputy director-general Akhom Praditsuwan said the closure was permanent and that the department would also pursue action against the owner and operator.
Officials delivered the licence-revocation order to the centre later that evening.
The order said inspectors found rooms enclosed with iron bars that could be locked from outside, along with wire around doors, ceilings and roof areas.
Beds had also been modified with metal cage-like frames that could be closed over residents.
The department said those conditions breached requirements that elderly and dependent-care facilities respect residents’ privacy, consent and human dignity, and protect them from physical, psychological, financial and other forms of abuse.
Inspectors also found that the centre had expanded its service area from the licensed 1,600 square metres to 4,641 square metres, meaning much of the space being used had not been approved.
Officials further found that psychiatric patients were being accepted and cared for despite the centre not being licensed to operate as a medical facility.
The department said operating outside the approved area could constitute an offence under the Health Establishment Act, carrying up to six months in prison, a fine of up to 50,000 baht, or both.
Providing medical-facility services without the required licence could carry up to five years in prison, a fine of up to 100,000 baht, or both under the Sanatorium Act.
The department is compiling evidence to send to police for consideration of further legal action against the owner and operator.
The centre’s owner, referred to as Maeow, continues to deny abusing or unlawfully confining Phat.
Maeow said Phat’s son asked the centre to take his mother into its care and maintained that the admission was handled according to procedure.
She also said she contacted Phat’s son three times during the stay, asking him to collect his mother, but he repeatedly delayed before eventually taking her home.
Maeow said she was concerned the case could discourage others from opening facilities for people with psychiatric conditions because of the risk of facing similar legal action.
She said she was unsure whether the closure would ultimately prove permanent or temporary and hoped the centre might reopen after making changes required by officials.
For now, however, she said staff would have to separate and leave the facility.
The centre has already dismantled the cage-like bed structure highlighted during the investigation.
Residents whose families are unable to collect them will be transferred by government agencies to hospitals or other facilities considered suitable for their care.
The Department of Health Service Support will also appoint a committee to examine whether its regional office responsible for Kanchanaburi failed to act on earlier problems at the centre.
Officials said the inquiry will look at whether improvements had previously been ordered and whether any failure by officials could amount to dereliction of duty under Section 157.
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