Police raid illegal clinic using bee stingers to treat eye conditions

2026-03-06 - 06:03

BANGKOK — Police have arrested an unlicensed practitioner who allegedly used bee stingers to treat eye conditions at an illegal clinic in Nonthaburi, authorities said on 6 March 2026. Officers from the Consumer Protection Police Division, together with officials from the Department of Health Service Support and the Nonthaburi Provincial Public Health Office, inspected a clinic operating inside the Pracharat Floating Market in Bang Yai district after receiving complaints about advertisements claiming to cure eye diseases. Investigators found the clinic promoted treatments for various eye conditions, including blurred vision, deteriorating vitreous gel, pterygium and glaucoma. The treatment involved using bee stingers to prick patients’ eyelids. During the inspection, officers found a 72-year-old man treating patients by applying bee stingers to both eyelids. Several people, mostly elderly patients, were waiting inside the clinic for treatment. Authorities later determined that the man did not possess a licence to practise Thai traditional medicine. He reportedly told officers that he was formerly the director of a bee centre in Chumphon province and had long studied bees. Believing that bee stingers could help treat blurred vision and other eye problems, he began offering treatments to the public about a year ago, mainly to elderly patients, though the clinic did not operate daily. Officials seized evidence including alcohol, cotton, tissues, tools used to handle bee stingers and a list of clients before handing the suspect over to investigators at the Consumer Protection Police Division. He faces charges of practising Thai traditional medicine without registration or a licence under the Thai Traditional Medicine Profession Act, which carries a penalty of up to three years in prison, a fine of up to 60,000 baht, or both. Phuwadech Surakot, director-general of the Department of Health Service Support, said there are more than 40,000 outpatient healthcare facilities or clinics nationwide, raising the risk of illegal operators posing as medical practitioners for profit. He urged the public to verify clinics before receiving treatment, including checking the 11-digit licence number displayed on the clinic sign, the operating licence, the permit identifying licensed practitioners, proof of current annual fees and identification of the attending doctor. Meanwhile, Pol. Lt. Gen. Nattasak Chaowanasai, commissioner of the Central Investigation Bureau, said Thai traditional medicine and alternative treatments are valuable forms of local wisdom but must be practised by licensed professionals at certified facilities. Using methods outside recognised medical practice or lacking scientific support, especially on sensitive organs such as the eyes, poses serious risks to the public, he said, adding that police will continue working with health authorities to crack down on illegal clinics.