DOCTOR HELD AFTER BRITISH WOMAN DIES IN BANGKOK BEAUTY CLINIC

An inquiry is under way in Bangkok into how a 24-year-old British woman died under anaesthetic while undergoing simple plastic surgery.


The body of the woman (name withheld) was taken from the SP Clinic in the Huay Khwang District of Bangkok late on Thursday.

Thai authorities say a British woman has died under anaesthesia during a corrective cosmetic procedure at the same Bangkok clinic.

Deputy police commander Pol Col Chayut Marayat  said he had interviewed the  SP Clinic owner and  doctor Somphob Sansiri, 51, and had charged him with recklessly causing the death of the women.

She had previously undergone cosmetic plastic surgery at the clinic but returned yesterday to have some correction to her lower back area.

The clinic has been the subject of internet campaign against it believed to have been started by an unsatisfied customer. The major subject of the campaign has been the clinic director and surgeon Dr. Sompob Sansiri, who has been interviewed by the Thai police.

Sompob Sansiri

Public Health ministry executive Boonruang Triruangworawat said Friday the British woman was operated on by a doctor who was not certified for cosmetic surgery.

Boonruang says the 24-year-old patient stopped breathing after receiving an anesthetic during the operation Thursday.

Clinics in Bangkok usually move operations requiring general unaesthetic to nearby hospitals but SP Clinic does its own.

Thailand is known for its affordable cosmetic procedures, and promotes itself as a medical tourism hub but there have been several deaths as a result of botched surgeries –  and clinics have been opened by people with no medical history whatsoever – even one by a 22-year-old university student.