A Kanchanaburi care centre accused of confining and mistreating a mother for more than two years was inspected and found to be licensed only as an elderly care facility, not as a medical facility.
Officials from the Department of Health Service Support, Ministry of Social Development and Human Security and Kanchanaburi police inspected the centre in Tha Muang district at 9am today, October 6.
The centre’s owner, referred to as Maeow, led officials through the facility to inspect living conditions, while members of the media were not allowed inside.
The preliminary inspection found that the centre had permission to operate as an elderly care facility but had not obtained a licence to operate as a medical facility authorised to care for patients.
Officials are now discussing what further action should be taken.
The inspection followed another visit by Central Investigation Bureau (CIB) officers yesterday, October 5, after allegations of assault, confinement and unlawful restraint were raised against the centre.
During that inspection, Maeow said she had trained as an Air Force nurse and previously worked at a state hospital before moving to a private hospital in Kanchanaburi.
Maeow said she opened the centre in 2006 to care for elderly people and expanded its services in 2021 to include dependent, psychiatric and rehabilitation patients.
She said the facility is inspected and its licence renewed annually, most recently on August 3, and showed the current licence to officers.
Police found that the centre had 19 carers, comprising three men and 16 women, looking after 92 people.
Among the 75 male residents, 68 were described as psychiatric patients, five as elderly residents and two as rehabilitation patients. Of the 17 female residents, 13 were psychiatric patients, three were elderly residents, and one was undergoing rehabilitation.
The accommodation was separated by sex and included air-conditioned single and shared rooms, as well as single rooms with fans, depending on each resident’s condition and category.
Maeow told officers that patients considered to have severe psychiatric symptoms were kept in rooms fitted with iron bars. She said such patients could damage property, assault others or wander around and that stronger rooms were therefore used.
She also responded to photographs circulated of a patient lying on a bed beneath a cage-like structure. Maeow said the measure was used for patients who became agitated and were considered at risk of falling from bed, becoming violent or damaging property.
She acknowledged that the arrangement could appear inappropriate to outsiders and said the centre was prepared to make improvements in line with recommendations from officials.
The inspections followed allegations made on the Hone Krasae programme by a woman referred to as Phat, who said her son and daughter-in-law had her taken to the centre against her will and that she remained there for more than two and a half years.
Phat alleged she was handcuffed, forced to take sleeping medication and confined under degrading conditions at the centre, allegations Maeow has denied.
Maeow said Phat’s son asked the centre to take her in after claiming she had become agitated, burned a vehicle and damaged property at home.
She added that she spoke with Phat during her stay and knew that she wanted to return home.
According to Maeow, the centre contacted Phat’s family several times and asked them to collect her, but no one came until another relative eventually took her home.
Maeow said she welcomed the investigation and maintained that the centre’s care measures were used only to prevent patients from harming themselves or damaging property.
CIB officers are continuing to question her and review CCTV footage and witness statements before deciding on further action.
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