By The Straits Times | Created at 2025-03-29 03:17:26 | Updated at 2025-04-03 10:56:05
5 days ago
BANGKOK - A Facebook user named “Tony Lim” shared a photo of medical personnel from the Police General Hospital performing surgery outdoors after an emergency caused by the earthquake on March 28.
The image quickly went viral, with social media users praising them as heroic doctors and showering them with support.
Dr Toey, who is also known as Mr Waranyu Jiramrit, said the patient required a colostomy and the earthquake struck just as the team was about to close the abdominal incision.
The lieutenant-colonel, who works as a surgeon, said he and his team immediately decided to move the patient to a safer location outside the operating room.
After assessing the situation, the team determined that the patient urgently needed surgery to close the abdominal incision.
If left open, there was a risk of bowel displacement or exposure to outside air, which could lead to complications, he told The Nation.
Given the urgency, Dr Toey said his team decided to perform the procedure outside the operating room.
According to him, they completed the surgery in 10 minutes.
Since this was the final step of closing the abdomen, safety remained the top priority, he added.
The team followed strict hygiene protocols, using sterile gloves and equipment similar to field surgery.
The patient is now in stable condition and recovering in a hospital room.
“I personally had no idea that the images were being shared on social media and receiving so much praise,” said Dr Toey.
“I had just finished treating the patient and writing the medical report for the hospital. I was simply doing my duty as a doctor to save the patient’s life to the best of my ability.” THE NATION/ASIA NEWS NETWORK
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