Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul has ordered an investigation into a report that a bedridden elderly woman who needed an oxygen concentrator died in Nakhon Phanom after her power was cut off because of an overdue bill for 1,154 baht.
An initial report indicates that the woman did not die during the 3-hour period when her home was without electricity on Tuesday, Mr Anutin said on Thursday.
However, Kian Leepol, 68, died later that night and authorities have been asked to find out if the power cut might have worsened her condition.
Mr Anutin said he had ordered the governor of the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA), which is under his supervision, to send him a detailed report.
Kian was bedridden and lived alone as she was childless and her husband had died about a decade ago, relatives said. She died at home in Ban Nakham village of tambon Wang Yang in Wang Yang district of Nakhon Phanom on Tuesday night.
On Wednesday relatives and local health officials complained that a subcontractor for the PEA had cut off the power supply to Kian’s house on Tuesday morning. They said they had begged him not to do so because of the old woman’s fragile health.
According to relatives, the house had been exempted from power tariffs because of low power consumption. But Kian recently developed muscle weakness and became dependent on an oxygen concentrator and a phlegm suction machine around the clock.
The devices raised power consumption at the house and caused it to be subject to billing.
After the power meter of the house was removed, a younger relative travelled about 10 kilometres to pay the overdue bills at a PEA branch in Wang Yang. The meter was reinstalled and power supply resumed.
However, the 68-year-old woman died on Tuesday night. Her relatives believe the power cutoff had caused her condition to deteriorate and finally led to her death.
The late woman’s niece, who identified herself only as Sutharinee, said that young relatives had to work during the day and took turns to stay overnight with the woman over the past two months after her condition worsened.
The niece said relatives were heartbroken by her death because the elderly woman, while being bedridden, could still eat and talk to visitors.
The PEA said in a Facebook post that households where there are ill people dependent on medical devices could register for secure power supply. After they register, the PEA would not cut off power unless payments were more than three months overdue.
Thawee Saranrom, manager of the Nakhon Phanom branch of the PEA, met relatives of the dead woman on Thursday to express condolences and attend funeral rites.
He said the woman had not been registered for secure power supply with the PEA.
He said a subcontractor removed the power meter at her house at 9.20am on Tuesday, the overdue bills were paid at 10.49am and the meter was reinstalled to restore power supply at 11.49am. The house was without power for 2 hours and 29 minutes.
Because the woman did not die while the power was cut off, the family would not be eligible to compensation from the PEA, Mr Thawee said. However, he would try to work out optional compensation.
He and PEA officials have donated about 10,000 baht to the family and the PEA branch would pay for the funeral rites, he said.
According to the manager, households that consume power costing less than 315 baht a month are exempt from payment.
The late woman’s house had been exempted for about seven months, but when she started to use the medical devices her power bill in July was 348 baht.
The bills amounted to 620 baht in August and 534 baht in September.
Thawee Saranrom, manager of the Nakhon Phanom branch of the Provincial Electricity Authority, attends a funeral rite for Kian Leepol on Thursday. (Photo: Pattanapong Sripiachai)