A 60 year old man collapsed near a hospital in Trang and died after waiting in vain for an ambulance, raising questions over Thailand’s emergency response system.
The victim, identified as Charoen, a hotel caretaker from Sikao district, was pronounced dead on September 12 after suffering an acute heart attack. His family say the tragedy highlights serious failures in the emergency response system, after they waited up to 40 minutes for help that never came.
Funeral rites were held this week at Wat Charoen Rom Muang, where relatives voiced anger and disbelief over the delays. They described how Charoen collapsed at the hotel, unconscious and struggling to breathe, while his 61 year old wife and 11 year old grandchild tried in vain to help. Unable to drive, his wife called her employer, who immediately dialled the 1669 emergency hotline.
Despite multiple calls to both 1669 and the 191 hotline, no ambulance arrived. His employer later learned the hospital had no vehicle available at the time, claiming the ambulance had been referred to another hospital. With no immediate help on hand, a good Samaritan eventually drove Charoen to the hospital, but he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.
Relatives and witnesses have questioned why alternative arrangements were not made. Family members claim they were told that staff shortages, including a pregnant nurse unable to take an ambulance call, contributed to the failure.
ญาติคาใจ! ชายวัย 60 ปี ล้มหมดสติหัวฟาดพื้น โทรสายด่วน 1669 แต่รอนาน 30 นาที ยังไม่มีรถฉุกเฉินมารับ สุดท้ายช่วยชีวิตไม่ทัน เมียสุดเศร้า อยู่ห่างจาก รพ.เพียง 300 เมตร แต่การช่วยเหลือล่าช้า ลูกชาย ยันเดินหน้าเอาผิดถึงที่สุด ละเลยการปฏิบัติหน้าที่หรือไม่
อ่านข่าว :… pic.twitter.com/1BmLzbtr6n
— เรื่องเล่าเช้านี้ (@MorningNewsTV3) September 17, 2025
Charoen’s wife, Preeda, through tears, told reporters she believes her husband might have survived if help had arrived sooner.
“I don’t think he should have died. It was only 200 to 300 metres from the hospital. If the ambulance had come quicker, he could have been saved.”
His eldest son, Saroj, said he arrived at the hospital only to find his father undergoing CPR. He accused the hospital of negligence, saying contradictory explanations about ambulance availability left the family devastated and distrustful, reported Channel 3 Plus.
The family have filed a complaint with the Ombudsman and are preparing a petition to the Trang Provincial Public Health Office. They are demanding a full investigation into the failures of the 1669 emergency response system and assurances that no other family faces a similar loss.
The story Trang man dies after ambulance fails to arrive in time (video) as seen on Thaiger News.
