Chonburi Hospital Clarifies Wheel-Lock Incident at Disabled Parking

CHONBURI — Chonburi Hospital on Thursday clarified a widely shared incident involving a man whose car was wheel-locked after he parked in a disabled parking space while picking up his father, who has a leg disability, from the hospital. The incident sparked criticism online after a video showed the man’s vehicle being wheel-locked by a security guard. In a statement issued on Thursday, Chonburi Hospital said the parking area where the incident occurred does not belong to the hospital. The hospital said the area is a parking facility operated by a private hospital foundation. The foundation’s chairman and board members are not currently hospital employees, and the hospital has no role in managing the privately owned area. The hospital also explained that it has designated disabled parking spaces of its own in front of the hospital entrance. Security personnel are assigned to those spaces to provide assistance and facilitate access for patients with disabilities, according to the statement. Although the incident did not take place on hospital property, Chonburi Hospital said it had contacted the foundation that owns the parking area following the incident. The hospital said it would work with the foundation to discuss the incident, clarify the circumstances and seek measures to prevent similar situations from happening again. Chonburi Hospital reaffirmed its commitment to providing healthcare services with attention to the needs of all patients, including people with disabilities, and to facilitating access to its services.