Health Dept to file charge 'soon' in semen case

Health Dept to file charge 'soon' in semen case

Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn, deputy director-general of the Department of Health Service Support, tours the iBaby Fertility & Genetic Center as part of his investigation. (Photo by Pawat Laopaisarntaksin)
Thongchai Keeratihattayakorn, deputy director-general of the Department of Health Service Support, tours the iBaby Fertility & Genetic Center as part of his investigation. (Photo by Pawat Laopaisarntaksin)

The Department of Health Service Support (DHSS) will file a complaint with police against a man who allegedly was hired to carry human semen in a nitrogen storage tank across the Thai border.

DHSS deputy director-general Thongchai Keeratihuttayakorn said Monday his department was waiting for the results of the tests to be given to police.

Dr Thongchai said he will assign the department's legal team to file a compliant with Nong Khai police, asking them to take legal action against Nithinon Srithaniyanan, 25 who was arrested on April 20 at the Nong Khai border checkpoint for trying to smuggle six tubes of semen across the Thai border.

A doctor at Khon Kaen Hospital who carried out tests on the semen, cryogenically stored in tubes, confirmed the sperm remain healthy, Dr Thongchai said.

Meanwhile, Dr Thongchai took the department's legal team to two fertility and IVF clinics in the city centre: Jetanin, and Superior A. R.T. to check whether the clinics had a licence and other documents to operate a business.

Last week, DHSS staff inspected two clinics in Phloenchit Road in Pathumwan district.

They are among four clinics mentioned by Mr Nithinon as the sources of the semen he claimed to have collected for transportation to neighbouring countries.

Dr Thongchai said Jetanin had denied any involvement with the smuggling. Officials at Jetanin clinic had cooperated well with authorities, he added.

He failed to mention what happened with the other clinic being inspected.

Dr Pinyo Hunsajaruphan, who operates Jetanin clinic, denied his clinic had provided semen freezing and storing services for a man from Vietnam and another from China.

Mr Nithinon claimed the human semen he was smuggling was theirs.

The man from Vietnam once visited his clinic for blood examinations and sperm analysis and infertility consultation, he added.

Dr Piyaphan Punyathanasakchai, who also runs Jetanin clinic, said sperm collected from the man from Vietnam for testing was destroyed following the test.

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