Sheryl

No need to see any from the sounds of it. You would suspect possible malignancy only for persistant large nodes unrelated to infection. Recent flu might explain them. Have the nodes increased in size or decreased?

There is a health forum specific rule against posting of news articles precisely so I don't have to come in and point out all the inaccuracies/limitations. Thread locked, Correlation is not causation, and only rarely does a correllation prove to have the causative role sought. Mass media often misrepresents medical articles and this particular one -- which is still in pre-print status and has not yet been peer-reviews -- has been particularly mis-reported, wrongly describing tetanus vaccine as a possible treatment for Parkinson's. If anything, it may prove to have a preventive role and even that is still far from proven. (It behooves everyone to stay up to date on tetanus vaccines though, and especially the elderly whose protective titers may declined.

No, you can't buy these IV antibiotics over the counter (and would not save much if you did, the drug costs are very high). But If Dr. Olivier is willing to administer it, he can source it for you. Bill is not likely to be less, though. Might even be more -- but I see no point in sticking with a doctor whom you are not comfortable with and does not have a collegial approach. So maybe have a chat with Dr. Olivier. I don't know what you were looking at on Google, but $125 per dose is about average for these drugs. And you'd need more than 5 day course. 10 at least.

Yes, many Thais from the provinces work in Bangkok. Some are on Social Security which removes the tabian ban issue. (Employed in Bangkok will suffice to get registered in Bangkok or outskirts. The big problem is that all the better hospitals have long waiting lists for new SS enrollments. Some arrange to change their tabian ban listing to a Bangkok one. (if landlord unwilling, may ask friends of family in Bangkok to add you to theirs). Some do indeed travel back to their home provinces for medical care. Usually pay out of pocket for small thing then head upcountry for anything major. From what I gather of your situation, and assuming you expect to be in Bangkok long term, best thing to do would be to get her listed on tabian ban in Bangkok. Start with your landlord, if he is unwilling then ask around among any friends, relations etc in the city. It is no problem to transfer from a private hospital to a government hospital at any point in care, as far as the government hospital is concerned. But it can prove logistically difficult to effect a transfer of a critically ill patient, and private hospitals have been known to be uncooperative about it. In an emergency NICU type situation, charges can skyrocket astronomically in just the first few hours (I have seen 1 million baht charges just in the day of birth) and multiply thereafter --- and they won't let you transfer the baby until they have been paid in full. Offhand I can recall 2 cases in past 10 years on this board of people saddled with multi- million baht bills and unable to get their sick neonate transferred. The other thing to be aware of is that private hospitals will push so strongly for c-section that it becomes virtually impossible to have a a natural birth in one. Of course many Thai women want c-section in which case may not matter, but if a natural birth is desired, be aware of this point, So I would advise delivery in a government hospital. It is possible to use a semi-private channel in most government hospitals whereby you can see an OB-GYN after hours and arrange for them to deliver on a fee basis (thus being able to chose the doctor, and discuss in advance preferences). You can also arrange a private room for reasonable fee.

I have not heard anything of the sort and it would be quite contrary to the terms of the Social Security Act which makes no distinctions by nationality. I think this is decision by the school. You are quite right that you should try to stay under SS since you plan on retiring in Thailand. See what head office says but meanwhile might want to look around at other job opportunities that would keep you under SS.

Both Daivobet and Daivonex are available in Thsiland

Exactly what most, if not all, Thai insurers do. it is a clear warning sign if the enrollment form does nto contain a detailed medical history that is coherent (I have seen ridiculous forms asking people to check yes or no to have ever had a cough/sore throat, for example). People sometimes think no medical questionnaire is a good thing. It is not. It means that they will wait until there is a claim to decide what conditions they consider pre-existing.

Hernia surgery is not specialized. Any general surgeon can do an open hernia repair. Hernias and gall bladders are their bread and butter. Laparoscopic hernia repair needs general surgeon trained in laparoscopic surgery.

This "rule" is so far a proposal and would need a change to the tax law to go into effect. The soonest that could possibly happen would be before the end of this year in which case it would be effective 2025 income, reflected on returns filed 2026. Could well take longer ro pass -if it does at all. Not to be confused with the revised regulation on remittances, which is in effect since first of this year (2024) and would be reflected in tax filings in 2025.

Thailand's universal health coverage consists of 3 schemes. ALL Thai citizens are covered under one of them. 1 - Civil Servant SS. Covers civil servants and their spouses, children and dependent parents. 2 - Regular SS. Covers non-civil servants employed in the formal sector, but not their spouses or dependents. Can be continued after leaving employment on a contributory basis but little to no reason for a Thai citizen to do that, see below 3 - Universal (AKA "30 baht") scheme covers all Thais not enrolled in #1 or #2. No contribution required, it is tax funded. From what you say, makes little sense to bother with SS (especially since the better SS hosptals in Bkk have huge waiting lists for enrollment). She is covered under the universal scheme. But, should try to change her tabian ban listing to where she actually lives. (Can be done in a rental but needs landlord's assistance). Could also try registering under the scheme at whatever hospital covers the area where you live (Ask neighbors about that) if she is in a rental contract as despite what @DrJoy said, I have had reports of people being able to do this. Possibly it varies by hospital. You (or preferrably she as English may not be spoken) can also call the NHSO for more information on this. https://eng.nhso.go.th/view/1/Home/EN-US tel 02-141-4000

Vast majority of these are no longer taking new SS enrollment. Some have wait lists extending to decades.

Such a regulatory body does not really exist in Thailand, unfortunately. There is no routine monitoring of bad outcomes. There is a Medical Council which can -- but almost never does -- suspend licenses, and in theory it is supposed to investigate complaints sent to it but this tends not to happen much in practice. For which reason there have been bids by the Office of the Consumer Protection Board to get involved in regulation of private hospitals but so far with limited success.

I do not thing ENT is the right specialist from what you say. Better an infectious disease specialist. Suggest you see this doctor tomorrow evening https://www.saintlouis.or.th/doctor/dr.kamalas-amnuay/01eeefc9-7c3b-4e79-9464-041ed1f67637 If infectious cause is ruled out, may need to see a different specialist (eg oncologist) but start with infectious disease specialist.

There isn't a special tax rate on interest. Assuming it is assessable in Thailand under the terms of the relevant DTA, it is same as any other income. Tax rate depends on total assessable income (from all sources) minus deductions/exemptions. this has been covered in detail in other threads. See https://aseannow.com/topic/1324294-introduction-to-personal-income-tax-in-thailand/ Savings in the bank from prior earnings are not income so not taxable anywhere. Correct that at this time, only funds remitted to Thailand (and Thai-sourced income, if any) are taxable. Again, subject to the terms of applicable DTA.

In Europe and (so far) SEA, income earned abroad and not remitted to country of residence is usually not taxed in the latter. In the US, all citizens and all permanent residents (green card holders) are resident for tax purposes, irrelevant how long they do or don't stay, and they are taxed on their worldwide income regardless of whether remitted into the US. They are indeed unusual in doing this. The RD in its references to the proposed global tax, has specifically referenced US as an example in terms of taxing worldwide income, something most countries do not do but the US does. Fine. But in that case, follow the example, and make the global taxation applicable only to citizens and permanent residents.

Correct. The worldwide taxation of the US applies to US citizens and permanent residents (green card holders). It does not apply to foreigners staying in the US on any type of visa (i.e., non-permanent residents) regardless of how long they stay. They are taxed only on US sourced income,

1. If her employment was terminated, she needs to continue paying on self pay basis within 6 months to continue the medical benefit. If she failed to do so then no way to continue SS. HOWEVER, as a Thai she automatically then comes under the universal (AKA "30 baht" system) which will also pay all pregnancy related costs. For which reason, most Thais do not bother to continue SS through self pay. 2. Whether self-pay or still employed, people can choose their SS Hospital, it is not automatically assigned (unless one leaves it to one's HR department to decide, usually a very bad idea). However in Bangkok there is a real limit to the selection as most hospitals are full in terms of SS and no longer accepting new enrollments. If previously employed, she would have had an SS hospital assigned and that would remain her hospital until such a time as she elected to change it (such changes can only be done at certain times). 3. All antenatal checks, delivery, post natal care, vaccines for baby etc are fully covered under both SS and the Universal care system. Yes, assigned hospital must be used unless an emergency occurs in which it is nto feasible to reach it. While SS hospital can be selected, under the Universal system it is based on residence. Must use the hospital which covers the district lived in. Normally this is based on listing in a tabian ban, but I believe Bangkok and possibly Pattaya -- both locations where many people move for work - will accept registration based on a rental contract. 4. All complications, care of baby etc are fully covered under both SS and the Universal scheme.

To those interested, I have had private exchanges with the OP and now know the details. It appears that in the course of surgery, another (non-targeted) body organ was significantly damaged. And that at 7 day follow up relevant symptoms were reported to the surgeon but shrugged off. I think he does have a case. If any one has a recommendation for a Bangkok based lawyer with experience in medical malpractice cases , please share that info either by posting here or in PM to the OP.

Threads are not proof read. They go through exactly as posted. I have now edited the title. Both to remove typos and also to remove allusions to the hospital (defamation issue)

Life Sciences is a just a lab, they do not treat infections or other medical conditions and certainly will not have what you need, which is a specialist in infectious diseases or urologist (probably the latter). Those white coats were lab technologists/technicians, entirely different skill set from medical doctors. Yes, none of the drugs to which it is sensitive are available as other than injection. Some are also very expensive but there is variability on that, as well as dosage schedule, so there is room to discuss with doctor a preference for once a day dosing so that infusions can be done by daily outpatient visits, and also cost implications. In Pattaya area, and concerned about cost, I'd probably try Pattaya Memorial for this. Ask for an infectious disease specialist who speaks good English.

Correct, and even if the culture shows a positive result and indicates which antibiotics the organism is sensitive to, should still take the advice of a urologist on treatment because antibiotics differ in their ability to penetrate the prostate, and the duration of treatment for prostatitis needs to be much longer than for a simple bladder infection.

The table is not clear on what is meant by "resident". It can be based on length of time in country or on immigration status i.e. temporary resident (analogous to anyone in Thailand on a visa) or permanent resident (analogous to holding permanent resident status). I know that in the US, only citizens and permanent residents are taxed on worldwide income. Non-resident aliens (i.e. anyone there on a visa rather than a "green card" -- no matter how long in country) are taxed only on US income. The various reports in newspapers -- which likely came from people not versed in different types of immigration status, and are in any case unclear -- seem to imply that any foreigner in country 180 days or more, regardless of immigration status, would be taxed on foreign income, and it is this which has set off all the fuss and worry in the expat community. Taxing foreign aliens who do not hold permanent residency or equivalent on their overseas income would be pretty unprecedented and certainly unlike the US system which has been referenced as the model that might be followed. It would also be full of problems and complexities since so much of the income would be exempt under a DTA (and there are 60+ different DTAs), or has already been taxed in the home country, and most of what doesn't fall under these categories will be below or not much above the tax threshold. IF this proposal goes forward at all, one hopes the above points will be taken into account. The simplest solution, and one consistent with what other countries who tax worldwide income do, would be to limit taxation on foreign income to Thai citizens and permanent residents, with other aliens (the majority) taxed only on Thai-sourced income.

A lengthy reply that included specifics of illegal drug use has been hidden. Dilaudid remains unavailable in Thailand. Morphine and fentanyl are available, but strictly controlled and must be gotten from a hospital. Thread is over 10 years old. Closed.

Yes, gather as much information as possible (including full set of both original hospital and second hospital records) in a low key manner.

Legal repercussions only if he makes public statements/accusations in the media. There is no legal repercussion to filing a law suit. But in fact, that is not the first step, and one hopes to avoid that by reaching a settlement with hospital first. Going to court is a long, drawn out process that racks up legal fees. People have done this with success but it requires a very strong case where the fault is obvious. At this point we have no information with which to even guess whether ior nto there is such a case here.