Relatives of the deceased and the director of Wang Yang Subdistrict Health Promotion Hospital in Nakhon Phanom Province called on the Provincial Electricity Authority to take responsibility after the power outage may have caused the death of a bedridden grandmother. Meanwhile, a representative of the Provincial Electricity Authority confirmed that it has regulations to take care of electricity users who have bedridden patients in their homes, but there were discrepancies on the part of the private contractor. From now on, measures will be urgently sought to prevent a repeat of the incident. It became a sad and heartbreaking story that deeply upset the relatives when the private sector that was hired to cut off the electricity lifted the meter without listening to the protests, which may have contributed to the death of Grandma Kian, a 68-year-old bedridden patient, alone yesterday (October 2) in her home in Ban Nakham, Wang Yang District, Nakhon Phanom Province, because there were medical equipment that requ ired electricity, such as an oxygen generator, a breathing machine, a mucus suction machine, and an air bed. Even though the relatives tried to persuade her, explaining the reasons for the necessity, and promising to pay immediately, the officer did not listen to the reason, and lifted the electric meter in front of their eyes. Even though they had reconnected the meter after paying the electricity bill that was overdue for 2 months, more than 1,100 baht, the lack of electricity to the medical equipment for 2 and a half hours made the relatives believe that it was the cause of Grandma Kian's condition deteriorating and her death in the middle of the night. Grandma Kian has no children and lives alone at home. After her husband died 10 years ago, she relies on her younger sister and niece to take care of her sometimes. She has a muscular weakness disease, so she has been bedridden and has had pressure sores for many months. Later, her condition worsened and she had to use an oxygen generator to help her breat he, causing her electricity bill to exceed 315 baht per month, resulting in a 2-month outstanding balance. Previously, she did not have to pay because she was within the criteria for electricity that the government had provided for her for 7 months. The director of Wang Yao Subdistrict Health Promotion Hospital in Ban Nakham saw the injustice and came out to help the deceased's relatives demand work standards. Today, the manager of the Provincial Electricity Authority, Nakhon Phanom Branch, as a representative of the Provincial Electricity Authority, brought a wreath to mourn Grandma Kian, gave initial financial assistance, and joined in hosting the funeral rites. They will urgently investigate the facts and set measures to prevent a repeat of the incident. They admitted that they had previously instructed the private contractor to follow the regulations for leniency for vulnerable groups, but a mistake was made. This house was not reported in the system as a bedridden patient house. Although it did not meet the criteria for assistance because the patient did not die immediately, they will find a way to provide appropriate compensation. They confirmed that they will not deny responsibility. The news reported that Mr. Poonpat Leesombatpaiboon, Secretary-General of the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), expressed his regret over the incident and will call an urgent meeting with the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) officials to urge them to work proactively and urgently survey electricity users with bedridden patients in every area nationwide to prevent a repeat of the incident. In addition, the public can register to apply for the right to be exempted from the power outage in the case of having a bedridden patient living under the same roof to protect their rights under the standards of the electricity service contract. Source: Thai News Agency
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