WyattEarp

Finally got through to SCB - they have changed login system and have reset all passwords. Need to go to the reset-password page - and all login names must now be in lowercase.

Anyone else have problems logging into SCB's internet banking website?

I was rather disappointed when i saw it, not the great movie it's hyped to be.

When i can't understand is in this age of satellites, drones, attack helicopters etc how a few rag heads in a speedboat can highjack modern liners. I mean one sniper at the back of the ship could have taken out those 4 high jackers before they got within 1/2 mile of the ship.

Merchant ships tend not to have snipers as part of the crew

The cost of posting a sniper on dangerous trips like this would be much less than paying ransoms to pirates. The US army must have thousands of trained snipers sat around doing nothing. Why have an army (costing $700 billion) if they can't protect American property and lives.

Because lots of places won't allow armed ships to go alongside. Merchant ships can't transit the Suez Canal if they have weapons on board.

The soldiers should only be on board as long as the ship is in the pirate waters. Then they could be airlifted to another ship going though that area. I'm sure USA has warships with both helicopters and soldiers semi-permanently stationed in the area.

I don't understand why we need to take this discussion in this direction, that was not my point. Yes it can be done but this would probably be wasting the best part of a day, where going to Banglamung can be done in an hour. Maybe you lived here too long and have become used to time being of no value.

The is simply not the case. in both the UC and SS schemes, care costs full price at any hospital other than the one you are registered at. If while she was under UC at Banglamiung and had gone to another hospital, she's have been charged similiar to what she is now paying at Banglamung. There is no inequity in that sense between the two systems. Your problem is that she prefers a hospital other than the one she is now registered at.

Under SS there is a choice of hospitals, under UC there is none, it is fixed based on where you live.

The problem is Banglamung hospital is the only government hospital in the Pattaya area. The nearest alternative would be Sriracha.

SS gave her the choice between Sriracha or Sattahip hospitals, both a minimum 60 km round trip. Who in their right mind would spend this time if the care required can be given right here in Pattaya.

First of all you need to avoid the term "government healthcare" as most people would interpret that to mean the government UC ("30 baht") scheme which most definitely Banglamung does accept. You are talking about Social Security, which is not the same thing. She is not anymore registered for "government healthcare" as that term is usually understood, and she is no longer eligible for it due to having SS. The government UC ("30 baht") system only covers people who are not covered by SS. So as soon as she became eligible for SS she lost her eligibility under the UC system.

Usually government hospitals accept SS, so it would be odd for Banglamung not to, but the SS office is the best source of this info. Possibly they already had as many people registered as they could handle and were not accepting new patients for that reason.

I don't think she can choose to opt out of SS to get under UC while employed, but again, the SS office is the best place to ask.

I already put "government" in quotes in the topic as I realized this is not the correct term, but didn't know what else to call it. I'm fine with using the terms UC and SS for clarity. Thanks for the clarification!

Yes now you mention it, I think she was told that they were no longer accepting registrations with Banglamung. Whatever the reason, it just doesn't seem right to me that someone who is unemployed get UC for 30 baht, and someone who works and pays social security has to pay 15 times more. The staff at Banglamung hospital told her that she could try to go to the SS office for a refund, but didn't think she would get any, apart from spending a half day going up to the SS office in Laem Chabang.

Well that explains it. She is paying for the treatment at Banglamung rather that going to the hospital she is insured at and will get it free. Nothing to do with either the SS scheme or the 30baht scheme.

Harry, she has been going to Banglamung hospital for years for this treatment, always got the same treatment, the mask, some inhalers and a couple of bags of pills. This always cost her 30 baht. The only difference is now she has a health insurance from her work, and therefore they charge her 470 baht for that same treatment that used to cost 30 baht.

It doesn't make much sense to me but the way I understand it, none of the hospitals in Pattaya work with the government healthcare, she has to go to either Sriracha or Sattahip for it. This is what makes no sense, she would have to take a day off to go to there, instead of an hour or two to go to Banglamung.

If I remember well, when she applied for the insurance (which is very long time ago, over a year, which it has taken to get it) she was told there is only a simple clinic available in Pattaya, she can go there and if they can not treat the ailment they will arrange to drive her to Sriracha. She just thought for this it made more sense to just pay the darn 30 baht and be over with it. The surprise, as I've tried to bring across a couple of times now, is that because she is registered for government healthcare she can no longer get the 30 bath treatment.

Thanks for the address details for the SS office, she will contact them tomorrow and see if there is a smarter way, and I'll of course update this thread with the result. She might simply cancel it if it doesn't make any sense to have it.

She is already being seen by a specialist and using her two inhalers + a bunch of pills as directed.

The closest hospitals she could chose were in Sriracha and Sattahip, but she prefer to go to Banglamung to avoid the 30+ km ride each way to go to them.

She got the same pills this time as she used to get @ 30 baht per visit before gettign the government healthcare.

The problem is there are no hospitals in Pattaya that work with the government insurance, as I understand it.

Anyway what surprised me is that the price goes from 30 baht to 470 baht just because you have government health insurance, it doesn't make any sense.

My wife has asthma and ever couple of months she goes to Banglamung hospital and gets some treatment involving sitting with a mask on for about half an hour, breathing some stuff, and ending with a bag of pills. Normally she'd pay 30 bath for this, some government scheme.

Now after having had a job for years she finally got her government healthcare card that she and the employer pays for. She offered that, but was told that only works in Sriracha and Sattahip, and she now had to pay 470 baht for what she used to pay 30 baht for.

What's the logic in this? She pays for health insurance and in return now has to go 60+ (there and back) to get this service, and they couldn't even tell her if she could get a refund of what she had to pay at Banglamung.

If ever you have looked at a themometer you'll see that almost all are denoted in Celsius and Farenheit.

I have a friend who is a bit of a hypochondriac and has a fever several times a week but never goes to the doctor,

Normally a hypochondriac is someone who goes to the doctor without fever, so wouldn't that make him the opposite?

A themometer is invaluble here, anything over 101 and you have a fever, at 102 you need to get to a hospital.

The only thing getting a tattoo proves is mental immaturity.

It seems like the article is confusing a couple of things which, to me, makes it feel like propaganda instead of unbiased reporting.

- private hospitals are private businesses who can set their own prices. If people do not want to pay those prices they should not go there. So complaining that you went to a private hospital and paid a lot does not make any sense to me; its like buying a Porsche and complaining it costs more than a Honda Jazz.

- when a private hospital signed a contract with the government that they would treat emergency patients, free emergency medical scheme, they should just do so. Hospitals trying to force patients to sign things first should be prosecuted and possible be closed down by the government (breach of contract). This has nothing to do with the prices they charge other patients for medical treatments though.

- hospital staff misinforming patients (telling them treatment is not covered by the free emergency medical scheme while it is, talking people into medical treatments they do not need, or misinforming people about medical treatments and their options) should be dealt with by the Thai medical board (if something like that exists) which might result in fines or closing down of the hospital. Again, this has nothing to do with the prices a private hospital charges a patient.

So I can see nowhere a link to the prices private hospitals charge and the problems mentioned in the article.

Companies have rules they must obey for the privilege of being allowed to run in our society. For factories these includes rules about pollution, labor, taxes etc. For hospitals this should include some maximum prices they are allowed to charge. I understand your argument that people can just go somewhere else, but what if there is no somewhere else to go? As in Pattaya where the only real option is a private hospital if you intend to get treatment this year.

A hospital should not just be a business with the sole purpose be to earn money, in the same way as nobody should become a doctor for the sole purpose of getting rich. Yes it's a side effect, but the main purpose for both should be the desire to help those in need. I think it's good the government takes this step. Unfortunately I think, as with so many things here, it's in the news today and forgotten tomorrow.

If anyone is actually looking for CHICKEN SCHNITZEL (it takes all kinds) it is now on the menu at this Iranian restaurant already mentioned here:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/608166-the-hit-and-run-restaurant-review-thread/?p=5973705

This dish is served in the usual Iranian style, with elegant Iranian rice and a side "salad" of raw onion and leaves. 200 baht.

This is the first time I have ever seen Chicken Schnitzel at an Iranian restaurant in any country, but I haven't been to Iran and I'm not going there either.

What is the difference between elegant Iranian rice and, say, unsophisticated Iranian rice?

"Our first Songkran together here in Pattaya" is perfectly good English, if anything it's KimoMax who don't know how to read.

Doesn't know how to read, old chap.

Someone give the grammarnazi a medal

Another quality news report from our friends at PDN - complete with pictures of the deceased with his underwear pulled down. We just need the rescue crew to make V-sign while smiling. Disgraceful lack of respect for dead farangs here.

Same lack of respect from you though? So far no-one had mentioned that. Maybe out of respect?

Could you point out a link to a rescue crew making the V-sign and smiling whilst attending to a death? Very much doubt it.

Disrespectful rescue crew has happened before, search for it yourself, I'm not your bell boy.

"Our first Songkran together here in Pattaya" is perfectly good English, if anything it's KimoMax who don't know how to read.

Another quality news report from our friends at PDN - complete with pictures of the deceased with his underwear pulled down. We just need the rescue crew to make V-sign while smiling. Disgraceful lack of respect for dead farangs here.

Is it the two volunteers who actually caught the crooks that are hidden behind the real police?

would be wiser to ask every foreigners coming to Thailand to have an insurance when they apply for Visa . Many countries ask this insurance if Thais want to travel abroad. Thailand should ask the same to those who apply for Visa in their embassies.

I agree... Part of the Visa application process should be proof of medical insurance. Visa exemption stamp on arrival should be granted with proof of return flight and proof of medical insurance. Entrance Via Land border could also require a proof of medical insurance.

Perhaps - Without Proof of Medical insurance a Health Service tax on arrival would be a good form to ensure treatment is covered for tourists.

I agree with Alfiecon - my medical insurance is based on my VISA card. I always check before I depart to get clearance to travel (pre-existing condition). The record is online rather than in paper form and I don't want to be printing off reams of paper to satisfy this and other requirements that may seem sensible, until you really THINK about them.

You would deny what many may see as an improvement and a logical benefit to a system because YOU don't want to print out proof of your insurance ?

I have Bupa - and I too would have to print out the proof of cover, but I really don't see that as a show stopper for a policy which may improve things.

Still - the differing opinions in this topic all make valid points of discussion.

Why? That would just open up for more ways to extort money from foreigners. The next step would be putting in guidelines for how much it should cover, and when, before you know it you're forced to sign up for some absurdly priced luxury health care insurance based on US health care prices.

Leave it as it is. It is up to the individual if they want healthcare and how much. Some people prefer to be self-insured, not paying absurd amounts to a business who is here only to make money (insurance companies). If you have time on your hand look up how one of the worlds richest men became rich investing in insurance companies - Warren Buffett and Berkshire Hathaway

NOW what will all the Sukhmvit road vendors sell?

Roofies?

it's actually difficult to find the real McCoy there.

Not at all. All the shops along the north-east wall only sell originals.

Dang it! I always wanted to see one of those raids at TukCom.

It's a laugh for sure, seeing the vendors running around in panic trying to get out.