Health Ministry Revokes Doctor's Dismissal After Commission Review
The Ministry of Public Health has revoked the dismissal of Dr. Supattra Hasuwanakit, a prominent rural doctor leader, after the Civil Service Commission ruled to cancel the disciplinary penalty. Dr. Supattra was originally dismissed for alleged procurement violations related to organizing COVID-19 testing during the 2021 outbreak, but he had already resigned to enter politics. The ministry confirmed the revocation order is genuine, though it remains unclear if Dr. Supattra will return to public service.
The Deputy Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Public Health has signed an order revoking the dismissal of "Dr. Supattra" from civil service, following a Civil Service Commission ruling to cancel the penalty. On October 22, 2026, media reported that the Ministry had issued an order revoking the dismissal of Dr. Supattra Hasuwanakit in accordance with the commission's decision. After the Office of the Civil Service Commission reviewed the disciplinary proceedings under Section 103 of the Civil Service Act B.E. 2551, it ruled to revoke the dismissal order.
A ministry letter dated October 16, 2026, regarding the revocation of the disciplinary penalty against Mr. Supattra Hasuwanakit per the commission's ruling, stated that the Ministry had previously issued Order No. 5/2026 dated February 9, 2026, dismissing him from service. Later, the Office of the Civil Service Commission notified the Ministry of its ruling to revoke that order. Consequently, the Ministry issued Order No. 21/2026 dated October 12, 2026, to revoke the dismissal penalty in line with the commission's ruling.
The letter was signed by Mr. Sakda Alphachan, Deputy Permanent Secretary acting as Permanent Secretary, and instructed Mr. Supattra to acknowledge the order, record the date of acknowledgment, and return a copy to the Ministry.
At 15:26 on October 22, 2026, media contacted a high-level source within the Ministry who confirmed the document was authentic but could not provide further details, noting the content matched the circulated document and remarking that it was a classified document. The source added that revoking the dismissal order means canceling the termination; however, Dr. Supattra had previously resigned from civil service to pursue political duties, so it must be asked whether he intends to return to government service.
Earlier, Dr. Supattra Hasuwanakit, Director of Saba Yoi Hospital and President of the Rural Doctors Society, publicly announced he was about to be dismissed after being charged with serious disciplinary violations for organizing the "Rural Doctors Storm Bangkok" protest to set up COVID testing points in dense communities during the severe outbreak in mid-2021. The charge alleged that Dr. Supattra procured ATK testing points incorrectly per government regulations, benefiting a private company or vendor.
