Doctor Claims Corruption in Nurse Volunteer Selection Exam
A former parliamentary candidate alleges corruption in the Public Health Ministry's nurse volunteer selection process after appointed committee members differed from provincial nominations, prompting the department to reissue appointments.
Dr. Suphatthorn Hasuwon, a former parliamentary candidate for Songkhla District 2 representing the Democratic Party, has posted allegations of clear and serious corruption in the Public Health Ministry's volunteer nurse selection examination. The ministry designed the selection process to rely entirely on interviews conducted by six-person committees from each province, with no written exam component. The Department of Health Service Support instructed each province to submit the names of six committee members for ministry appointment, but the announced appointments did not match the nominations submitted by the provinces. This discrepancy has sparked complaints across multiple provinces via LINE group chats, prompting the department to cancel its original order and reissue appointments matching the provincial submissions. Dr. Hasuwon warned that the selection may favor high-scoring candidates and could involve position trading similar to corruption scandals in local government exams. He called on the Public Health Minister to provide an urgent explanation and suggested canceling the exam altogether if public confidence in the fairness cannot be assured. The volunteer nurse program costs the state 1.3 billion baht annually, and the budget commission should conduct a full review of the program's allocation.
