Thai media personality Nawat Itsaragrisil was trending on Twitter Thursday after the television host announced that he is being kicked out of the hospital where he was getting treated for Covid-19 after making comments about the state’s Covid-19 response earlier this week.
Nawat, who is currently undergoing treatment at a local hospital and receiving oxygen, posted a Live video via his Facebook fanpage on Wednesday evening saying that he has been asked to leave the hospital in 24 hours by a “Salim doctor” (a slang term for conservative Thais who are pro-establishment and supported the previous military dictatorship) while his recovery is still far from over.
“They [the doctor] just called to ask me to leave in 24 hours,” the 66-year-old said, while crying in the video. “I was shocked. How am I supposed to leave? I am still receiving IV drips, I haven’t been vaccinated, and I am still breathing with an oxygen mask.”
His video went viral immediately on social media, prompting the hashtag #ณวัฒน์อิสรไกรศีล (Nawat Itsaragrisil) on Twitter, which has garnered over 714,000 Tweets as of Thursday afternoon.
The famous television host added that he was so stressed from the order, it had caused him extreme chest pain and his blood pressure to rise to 160 mmHg. He also said that the doctor who asked him to leave was a “Salim” who did not appreciate his comments and stance against the government of Prayut Chan-Ocha.
The 66-year-old, best known for being a host and producer for beauty pageant shows as well as famous Thai television shows Kon Thueng Chan and Krua Khun Toi, said that the reason behind this was politically motivated.
“Who are you to tell me to leave? Shame on you, I looked into your information. You think you are so powerful?” Nawat said. “I am the one paying for all my treatments here, and no one else.”
Nawat added that the original plan was for him to leave on July 29. When he relayed that information to the doctor, the doctor said that the hospital was going to change the date, and asked him to leave.
However, the television host assured that he was still in full spirit to fight against the injustice. In the video, Nawat said that as soon as he recovers, he will definitely join the movement to sue Prime Minister Prayut Chan-Ocha for negligence.
It is still unconfirmed which hospital Nawat is currently being treated in, or which doctor made the order.
Nawat went viral on Monday after he announced that he was leaving one of his famous shows, Krua Khun Toi, as he no longer wished to be affiliated with any big businesses and cronies associated with the corrupt government and the State. He said that his decision to leave was his and his alone, and came after he received a message threatening him.
“Don’t think for a second that I will be scared,” Nawat said in the video on Monday, adding that he will no longer be controlled by what to say or what to do on the basis of dirty money.
Nawat, who has been surviving thanks to oxygen due to respiratory issues from the virus, has been posting Live videos through his fanpage on Facebook to keep fans updated on his situation and very vocal in voicing his disapproval with the Thai state, amid its various failures in handling the current coronavirus crisis in the country.
UPDATE: The doctor who allegedly threatened Nawat has now been fired from Piyavate Hospital, local news reported on Thursday afternoon.