The body of 24-year-old Huy Chong, who died from drowning, was taken to Seda Health Center in Ratanakkiri province. FB Pa Sokheng
The Ratanakkiri Provincial Health Department has dismissed allegations that the absence of an on-duty doctor led to the death of a patient at the Seda Health Center in Lumphat district’s Seda commune. A Facebook user named Pa Sokheng made the claim during a March 24 live video.
In the video, live-steamed at 12.40pm, he claimed that no doctor was present at the centre when a drowning victim was brought in for emergency treatment.
He alleged that despite repeated calls to the medical staff, there was no response, leading to the patient’s death and prompting him to go live on social media.
“Sokheng” is reportedly associated with the family of the deceased.
In a March 25 statement, the health department clarified that while the man was in fact brought in for treatment, he was deceased on arrival.
The department explained that it issued the statement to reassure the public and prevent any misunderstandings about the quality of public healthcare services.
“At that time, a doctor was actually on duty, stationed in an upstairs room of the health centre. However, due to the shock and distress of the victim’s family, they were unaware of the presence of an on-duty doctor. This misunderstanding led the Facebook user to immediately go live with the video,” it said.
Following his livestream, Sokheng realised that there was a doctor on duty. Upon learning this, he broadcast another video, publicly apologising for the misunderstanding.
Medical examinations confirmed that the victim, identified as 24-year-old Huy Chong, had died from drowning before reaching the centre.
The victim was originally from Takeo Province and had been working as a labourer on a pepper farm in Ratanakkiri.
The same Facebook post also claimed that his parents were impoverished and lacked the means to transport their son’s body back to his hometown.
Senior Ministry of Health officials have recently been conducting on-site inspections of health centres across the Kingdom to ensure compliance with service standards, including whether staff are providing 24-hour services. These included unannounced inspections by health minister Chheng Ra.
