ROI ET — 11 January 2026, A 30-year-old nurse in northeastern Thailand has died after suffering cardiac arrest while working a night shift, prompting an outpouring of grief and renewed discussion about the health risks faced by medical staff who work irregular hours.
Roi Et Hospital said in a Facebook post on 11 January that Yupharak Sukwandee, a registered nurse in the hospital’s female internal medicine ward, died after her heart stopped while she was on duty overnight.
The hospital expressed condolences to her family, colleagues and loved ones. Many social media users also posted messages of mourning, with some saying they had only recently seen her share a photo on social media of having dinner with her boyfriend shortly before her death.
A colleague identified her as “Nong Eve” and said the nurse had complained of diarrhea and fatigue before starting her shift but continued working. The colleague said she later collapsed in a bathroom during her shift and could not be revived.
The death has drawn attention to the risks faced by doctors and nurses who work overnight and rotating shifts. In a widely shared post, Thai physician Surath who writes about health and neuroscience, said shift work can disrupt the body’s natural biological clock and place additional stress on the heart and nervous system, especially for people with undiagnosed underlying conditions such as high blood pressure, abnormal heart rhythms, high cholesterol or diabetes.
He urged medical workers and others who work night shifts to undergo regular health checkups, pay attention to warning signs such as palpitations, chest pain or unusual fatigue, and to prioritize sleep and stress management.
“No one should have to die simply because they performed their duty too well,” he wrote.
