A grieving mother has called for justice for her 6-year-old daughter, who died on Monday night after she suffered an acute stomachache at school but was not sent to hospital for treatment.

Nongyao Daenmuangthaen, 42, wept as she hugged the lifeless body of her daughter Namphet Udomkin,  lying in a hospital bed at Bang Phli Hospital, Samut Prakan, on Monday night. Her husband and relatives stood alongside.

Ms Nongyao, who works as a caddy at a golf course in Bang Phli district, said she sent her daughter to school as normal in the morning. The child was cheerful and showed no sign of illness.

Late that afternoon she saw a message on her Line feed asking her to urgently go to see her daughter, who was suffering from an acute stomachache, at tambon Bang Chalong healthcare station, near the school. Nongyao was shocked to discover her daughter looking very weak and off-colour. The girl complained of severe pain in her stomach.

"I immediately asked the officials why they had not sent her to hospital. They said they had been waiting for parental approval to move her," Ms Nongyao said.

A photo of Namphet Udomkin, 6, on her mother's mobile phone. (Photo by Sutthiwit Chayutworakan)

Her daughter was unconscious when they eventually arrived at Bang Phli Hospital and then she convulsed. Nurses took the girl to an emergency room, where a doctor examined the child and declared her dead.

Ms Nongyao said she had since asked the class teacher what had happened and was told her daughter had developed an acute stomachache and collapsed to the floor. The teacher immediately took her to the nearby healthcare station at about 12.30pm on Monday. Medical staff there gave the girl first aid, but her condition did not improve.

The parent of another child offered to take Namphet to a nearby hospital, but permission was refused. Officials said actual parental permission was required before she could be moved to a hospital. As a result, Namphet was kept at the healthcare centre for four hours. 

The mother said she wanted justice, holding the healthcare station officials responsible for their refusal to transfer a very sick girl to hospital.

Bang Phli police said they would call the class teacher and the three healthcare staff in for questioning. Namphet’s body was taken to Ramabhibodi Samut Prakan Hospital for a post-mortem examination to determine the cause of the death.

Ms Nongyao Daenmuangthaen, 42, looks sadly at her dead 6-year-old daughter, Nong Namphet, at Bang Phli Hospital in Samut Prakan on Monday night. (Photo by Sutthiwit Chayutworakan)