Mae Sot: Dr. Nattakan Chuenchom, known as Dr. Beer, an infectious disease specialist at Mae Sot Hospital, has publicly expressed his frustration and readiness to resign due to the overwhelming workload resulting from treating both local Thai patients and refugees from neighboring countries. In his online posts, Dr. Beer highlighted the challenges faced by healthcare professionals in border areas who are required to manage a heavy caseload under humanitarian principles.
According to Thai News Agency, Dr. Beer shared that hospital executives have instructed him to accept tuberculosis and HIV cases from an evacuation center because the community hospital lacks the capacity to provide care. This decision came without consideration for the existing workload at Mae Sot Hospital. Dr. Beer, who has served for 20 years, expressed his dissatisfaction, stating that if the situation does not change, he plans to resign. He emphasized that Thai residents living near the border are already disadvantaged by slow service and long wait times, and should not be expected to share their limited medical resources with others.
Dr. Beer further elaborated that managing refugee camps should be a national priority, involving government intervention, legal amendments, and potentially the repatriation of refugees. He suggested that additional personnel, including Myanmar doctors, should be employed specifically to handle the needs of refugee camps, instead of reallocating doctors from community and general hospitals. The current refugee population is comparable to that of an entire district, exacerbating the strain on local medical resources.
In his post on the "Border Doctor's Story," Dr. Beer noted the extreme patient-to-doctor ratio at Mae Sot Hospital, where a single doctor is responsible for approximately 5,000 patients. This includes both Thai citizens and foreigners, both legal and illegal. Language barriers further complicate treatment, necessitating the use of interpreters, which prolongs patient consultations. The hospital incurs significant costs, spending tens of millions of baht annually on treatment expenses.
Mae Sot Hospital employs 80 doctors, including 10 internists, yet it handles 350,000 outpatient visits per year, with 180,000 visits in the internal medicine department alone. The hospital operates with minimal breaks for its staff, who work weekends and have little opportunity for meetings or personal time, due to the high demand for medical services. The World Health Organization recommends a ratio of 1 doctor to 1,000 patients, a standard that Mae Sot Hospital exceeds by fivefold.
Dr. Beer stressed that the refugee crisis is a national issue that requires a coordinated response to prevent it from undermining local public health efforts. While short-term solutions could potentially manage the situation for a couple of months, a sustainable national strategy is necessary to address the problem effectively. He concluded by emphasizing the dedication of border health workers, who continue to work beyond their limits, driven by a commitment to humanity.