Paramedics used a breakdown recovery tow truck to carry a 300kg Thai woman to the hospital.

The emergency services were called when chronically obese Chatwisa, 36, began suffering breathing difficulties at her family home in Ayutthaya, Thailand, on February 6.

Shocked workers found her lying face down on the bed slurping sugary milk tea from a bowl next to her mouth.

But before they could take her to a doctor, reinforcements were sent to demolish a bedroom wall and remove a door so they could drag the hefty woman outside.

More than 20 staff members carried her custom-made metal-framed bed onto a tow truck, that is normally used for collecting two-tonne SUVs that have conked out on the roadside.

Astonished drivers watched as the vehicles drove along the roads with Chatwisa lying on top like a parade float being displayed around town.

She finally arrived at the Somdej Phra Sangkharat Hospital on Thursday afternoon, with aghast doctors and nurses ordering her to immediately stop eating.

Chatwisa said: ‘I have rice with two omelettes for breakfast and my favourite bubble tea. I keep rice next to me all day to eat when I feel like it. Sometimes I eat that all day and my family bring me more food. I like grilled meat.

‘It is only recently that I have started to feel unwell. My breathing had become slightly obstructed and I started feeling tired. But if I didn't move or speak, I would feel fine.

‘Everything was OK until the air conditioning machine broke last month. Since then I have been very hot. I tried to find a way to see a doctor, but I couldn't get a vehicle.'

Chatwisa said she saw a doctor for the first time around a year ago when she could still walk. She was then transferred to another hospital.

The woman added: ‘Doctors told me that I am obese. I was in the hospital for about a month with an infection then they discharged me.

‘The doctor made an appointment, but it was difficult to get a vehicle because I was overweight, so I haven't seen him. Earlier this month, my feet became swollen, so I haven't been able to walk since then.'

Chatwisa's father said that she had been overweight since childhood. Her weight had gradually increased to 270kg (595lbs) last year, which forced her to stay in bed. She then ballooned to 300kg.

He added: ‘Nobody has been able to help my daughter, so she remained in bed constantly, which has led to bedsores.

‘I was worried when she had breathing problems.'

A local rescue volunteer group helped to organise an ambulance to take Chatwisa to hospital but they were unable to remove her from the property.

They provided first aid and inserted a tracheal tube to help her breathe more easily.

Rescuers moved large items out of the way before removing the door and knocking down parts of the wall to create a path to take her out.

They requested a tow truck and 20 officers were joined by locals as they pushed her out of the house.

The bed was then pushed to the back of the truck before it was transported to Somdej Phra Sangkharat Hospital.

Chatchai Kittichai, an executive of the Ayutthaya Ruamjai Association rescue team, said: ‘When I first arrived at the house I was afraid we were too late. The patient was in a bad condition so we did emergency first aid.

‘The only way to take her to hospital was to demolish a wall and remove a door. As the ambulance was too small, we called a breakdown rescue hydraulic truck. Without that, there was no way to transport her.'

Medics have kept the obese patient in hospital. They have given her oxygen and an IV drip for feeding while doctors assess her condition and attempt a recovery plan.