A hospital in Thailand is being investigated for allegedly turning away a critically injured Taiwanese tourist - leaving them to die in a van on the roadside because they were concerned he would leave a large bill.

The holidaymaker Andy Chen, 41, was rushed to the private Vibharam Hospital in Bangkok after he was injured in a suspected ahit-and-run in the capital's Soi Phatthanakan 50 area in the early hours of December 8.

Taiwanese broadcaster TVBS, citing the Taiwanese Tourism Authority, reported that Andy, also named in his passport Di-Long Chen, was with 18 other tourists but had separated from the group to explore the city on his own on December 7 evening.

When he failed to return that night, a missing person's report was filed with police, with rescue teams finding the injured tourist at around 1:50 am.

Volunteer paramedics revived Andy, from Taipei, Taiwan, with CPR before rushing him to the Vibraham Hospital 500 metres away - following the policy of going to the nearest facility for emergency cases.

But when they arrived, the nurse supervisor in charge of the emergency ward allegedly shouted at them for bringing to Andy to the hospital - all while he lay dying in the back of the the crude emergency minivan van, as seen in the video.

The woman in the video said: 'We told you we weren't accepting patients, so why would you bring him here? He is a foreigner, has no relatives, we don't know how to seek reimbursement of his medical bills. Why don't you take him to a nearby public hospital?'

The paramedic in the video replied: 'It's in your hospital area now. If you don't accept him, you wait until the health ministry deals with you.'

A second paramedic, pleading with the hospital to admit the patient, is heard in the video saying: 'So you don't accept the patient, right? This is a patient who is being given CPR. The hospital is not accepting patients.'

The crew were forced to head for the state hospital around 10 kilometres away but Andy died from his injuries while they were negotiating traffic.

The Ministry of Public Health and the Ministry of Tourism and Sports said on December 12 that the Vibraham Hospital is now being investigated, as they had also previously turned away severely injured patients.

Dr Sura Wisetsak, director-general of the Health Service Support Department, said any unconscious patient was eligible for treatment under the Universal Coverage for Emergency Patients.

According to the policy 'emergency patients are ensured of their full accessibility to essential and safe emergency medical care at government and private hospitals without having any conditions or service fee being charged on the patients within the first 72 hours of their first admission or until their conditions are fit for being transferred to their registered hospitals'.

The guidelines continue: 'Following their treatment, hospitals can reimburse service fees being stated in a regulated fee for service or fee schedule from healthcare schemes that the patients are entitled to.'

Dr Sura Wisetsak warned that the medics could be jailed.

He said: 'Hospital staff found guilty of refusing to provide emergency treatment to a patient in danger could face imprisonment of up to two years, a fine of up to 40,000 baht, or both.'

Minister of Tourism and Sports Sudawan Wangsuphakijkosol said the department has ordered tourist police and established a tourist assistance centre to coordinate with Andy's family.

Meanwhile, police said the unnamed driver, 51, who struck Andy turned himself in to authorities. He was facing charges for the hit-and-run, and for reportedly driving under the influence of alcohol.

The Thai government - still desperate to bring in tourist revenue - in November waived visa requirement for Taiwanese travellers travelling to the kingdom. Taiwan passport holders were granted a visa-free stay of 30 days in a bid to revive the ailing tourism industry in Thailand. The waiver will last until May 10, 2024.

Thailand has one of the world's worst road safety records. Ministers have set the goal of reducing fatalities from 32.7 deaths per 100,000 people to 12 per 100,000 people by the year 2027.

However, a lack of road safety education in schools along with notoriously easy driving tests, police failures to enforce road laws, widespread corruption and chronic under-investment in infrastructure, all hamper the efforts.