Police Doctor Praised for Mid-Flight Medical Rescue
Police Hospital director Pol. Lt. Gen. Ketsam Rattanasumawong praised Pol. Lt. Col. Dr. Panvadee Rattanasumawong for saving a passenger with severe respiratory distress on a flight from Chiang Rai to Bangkok. Dr. Panvadee, a pulmonary specialist, administered oxygen and monitored the patient until the plane landed safely at Don Mueang Airport. The incident highlights the readiness of police medical staff to serve the public anywhere, anytime.
The Police Hospital praised Pol. Lt. Col. Dr. Panvadee Rattanasumawong, deputy chief and spokeswoman, for helping an emergency patient mid-flight and stabilizing the condition until a safe landing at Don Mueang, reflecting the spirit of a police doctor ready to assist the public in a crisis.
On November 15, 2026, at the Police Hospital, Pol. Lt. Gen. Ketsam Rattanasumawong, the hospital director, revealed that a TikTok user, Rungnapa Putkaew, posted a message and video on November 8, 2026 at 5:05 PM, commending Pol. Lt. Col. Dr. Panvadee Rattanasumawong for assisting a passenger who suddenly became ill on Thai AirAsia flight FD 3208 from Chiang Rai to Bangkok. The crew had announced a request for any doctors on board.
Dr. Panvadee attended to a patient with very low blood oxygen, administering oxygen via mask and providing initial first aid until the flight reached Don Mueang Airport safely.
The Police Hospital lauded Dr. Panvadee for demonstrating the conscience and spirit of a police doctor, ready to help the public in a crisis, applying medical knowledge and expertise to aid an emergency patient on a plane promptly, stabilizing symptoms until the destination was reached safely.
The incident occurred on November 8, 2026, while Dr. Panvadee was returning from Chiang Rai to Bangkok after attending a Kathina robe-offering ceremony at Wat Pa Somdet Phra Yanawachirodom in Mae Ai District, Chiang Mai, with the 29th Senior Executive Justice Administration Course.
About 20 minutes after takeoff, the crew called for a doctor because a passenger with lung disease was suffering shortness of breath, cyanosis, unable to measure blood oxygen, and had a heart rate of 122 beats per minute.
With a sense of duty and readiness to save lives, Dr. Panvadee, a specialist in respiratory and pulmonary medicine, assessed the patient, provided initial assistance with oxygen via mask, coordinated with the crew to bring oxygen, and adjusted the flow to the maximum continuously throughout the flight to stabilize the patient until the plane landed safely at Don Mueang.
The hospital director added that the incident reflects the spirit of a police doctor who is conscious of caring for and helping the public without limit of place and time, coupled with applying medical knowledge and expertise for maximum benefit to the patient's life, making her a medical personnel of the Royal Thai Police who performs duties with sacrifice and stands ready as a refuge for the public in times of crisis.
