Kudos to Tul Sitthisomwong, a lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University and a member of the Medical Council of Thailand for having the courage to voice his disagreement with the council's decision last Friday to postpone consideration of its subcommittee's findings on former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra's treatment for suspicious "life-threatening" illnesses at the Police General Hospital.
It is a lone voice in Thai society these days, as many people have fallen silent as if they have submitted to the extra-judicial power which has taken control of this country from top to bottom.
The reason for the indefinite postponement of the deliberation -- which was scheduled to take place on April 10 -- as cited in the council's announcement is the subcommittee investigating the case, headed by Dr Amorn Leelarasamee, had just received a big pile of documents from the Police General Hospital and the Corrections Department's hospital.
The unexpected arrival of the documents, on March 31 and April 1 respectively, has made it impossible for the probe panel to present its findings within the April 10 deadline, because the panel needs more time to study the documents.
Dr Amorn's panel did not give a definite timeline on when its investigation will be completed, and when it plans to submit its findings to the Medical Council.
The council's move was a big letdown for those who believe this much respected professional organisation will be able to shed the light on this demoralising issue, at a time when the entire bureaucratic system, especially the National Anti-Corruption Commission, has lost is credibility and become submissive to "you-know-who".
Dr Tul was right when he said the additional documents sent by the state hospitals should be rejected, because they came after the Jan 14 deadline set by Dr Amorn's panel.
Why did it take so long for the hospitals to send additional documents?
It also should be noted the documents were received by the panel about 10 days before April 10, which begs the question, are they relevant?
But what is certain is they will unnecessarily prolong the investigation -- which is unfortunate, especially since Dr Amorn's panel had released a statement saying the probe was already 99.99% completed.
Dr Amorn said his panel had interviewed all the doctors involved in treating Thaksin and received some medical records from the Police General Hospital.
This is not a complicated murder case which requires the expertise of veteran detectives and forensic science.
Take the case of Karen activist Porlajee Rakchongcharoen, aka Billy, who went missing without any trace after he was last seen by park rangers at Kaeng Krachan National Park in Phetchaburi province.
The Department of Special Investigation had to step in to investigate the case. Using a submersible machine to scour the bottom of a reservoir in the park, they discovered an oil drum in which human bone fragments were found.
DNA tests of the fragments matched with those submitted by Billy's mother, leading the DSI to conclude that he was murdered.
Thaksin's case is straightforward and much less complicated -- it does not require the help of medical detectives, as the key evidence lies in the medical records.
Any patient who has visited a hospital can attest to the details of their ailments, the way they were treated and the name of the doctor who treated them can be easily gleaned by simply tapping a few letters on a computer keyboard.
In the case of Thaksin, who doctors and members of the Pheu Thai Party claimed to be suffering from "life-threatening diseases", his medical records will be key to clearing doubts surrounding his stay, as the records list the names of his attending physicians who regularly assessed his condition during his stay at the hospital.
The problem from the beginning stemmed from the reluctance of the Police General Hospital to part with the medical records, claiming they are confidential even though the information, if released, will clear public suspicion about the true nature of Thaksin's health condition.
Dr Amorn's investigation does not directly concern Thaksin as it focuses on ethical conduct of the doctors involved.
Even if all or some of them are found guilty by the Medical Council, the ruling will not affect Thaksin's status as a free man as he has technically served his term, albeit in the comfortable confines of the Police General Hospital, instead of a prison.
But the postponement of the case has affected the public's perception of the council.
At least, the council should set a deadline for the probe panel to come up with its findings which should not deviate too far from the original deadline as the panel head has already confirmed it was 99.99% complete. The council must not fail the public.
Veera Prateepchaikul is former editor at 'Bangkok Post'.