The Department of Health Service Support (DHSS), under Thailand’s Ministry of Public Health, disclosed this in a statement released on Tuesday after inspecting the clinic where the 43-year-old received his final procedure.
Ubiribo, also known as “Tiny”, “Denisi” and “Ego”, died in March after undergoing a penile filler procedure while on holiday in Thailand with his wife.
According to the Thai authorities, the clinic told investigators that Ubiribo had been a regular patient since 2024 and had received five injections to enlarge his penis.
The statement said the emergency medical services centre received a request for an ambulance on March 5, 2026, from a private hospital in Bangkok’s Sukhumvit area after Ubiribo lost consciousness.
His wife reportedly told medical personnel that he had undergone a filler injection earlier that day and subsequently went for a massage.
Doctors suspected a blood clot and prepared to conduct a CT scan with contrast dye to examine his blood vessels.
However, Ubiribo lost consciousness and had no pulse before the scan could be carried out. Medical personnel began cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), but he could not be revived and was pronounced dead.
The incident prompted an investigation into the clinic on Rama 1 Road, Pathum Wan District, Bangkok.
According to information provided by the clinic, Ubiribo underwent his first four procedures between 2024 and 2025, while the fifth took place on March 5, 2026, a day before his death.
“The clinic’s management provided information stating that the patient had been a regular patient since 2024. The patient had received five injections to enlarge the male genitalia,” the statement said.
The final procedure involved injecting 40cc of filler into his penis.
Authorities said the doctor had recommended that the 40cc injection be divided into two sessions, but Ubiribo preferred to have it administered in a single session.
The clinic said it provided him with post-operative care instructions and followed up with him afterwards, adding that he did not report any problems with the procedure.
It also said he signed consent forms before each of the five procedures.
The investigation followed a directive from Thailand’s Minister of Public Health, Pattana Promphat, who ordered the DHSS and Food and Drug Administration to investigate the clinic after Ubiribo’s death.
DHSS officials, working with the FDA, inspected the facility on September 7 to examine its operations and gather evidence.
The Director-General of the DHSS, Phuwadej Surakhot, said the authorities would continue investigating the circumstances surrounding Ubiribo’s death before referring the professional-practice aspect of the case to Thailand’s Medical Council.
“We will gather all facts and evidence to proceed according to our authority and submit the case to the Medical Council for a ruling on professional practice standards, in order to ensure fairness to all parties,” he said.
The authorities have not announced any finding of malpractice against the clinic.
Ubiribo’s death had previously been linked to the cosmetic procedure by a UK coroner, with evidence presented at an inquest indicating that the treatment caused a fatal pulmonary embolism.
He was taken by ambulance to Sukhumvit Hospital, where doctors suspected a pulmonary embolism and planned a CT scan. However, he lost consciousness before the scan could be performed.
Medical staff reportedly performed CPR for more than 100 minutes but were unable to revive him. He died in the early hours of March 6.
A postmortem examination later found material in his lungs consistent with the hyaluronic acid used during the penile filler procedure.
Following Ubiribo’s death, aesthetic medicine and dermatology physician Dr Mobola Savage warned that penile filler procedures were not without risks.
“Non-surgical does not mean risk-free. Penile filler is still an invasive medical procedure involving highly vascular anatomy,” Savage said on X.
She explained that Ubiribo underwent non-surgical penile augmentation rather than conventional penile enlargement surgery, with the procedure primarily intended to increase penile girth.
The Thai investigation is ongoing as authorities determine whether the clinic and the medical professionals involved complied with the required standards.
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