Sheryl

He means that many insurers do not issue new policies after age 65.

She should go through a broker specializing in expat policies. I use https://www.aoc-insurancebroker.com/ They are based in France. There may be others based in Belgium, look into that first.

Yes do discuss with your doctors. You can offset limited plain water intake by increasing intake of thicker liquids like soups. Fluid is needed daily, unless you become dehydrated no reason for an infusion and in any case it will help only briefly. Your body will excrete any fluid taken in beyond what it needs at that moment. So not possible to maintain adequate hydration through once weekly or monthly infusions I'm a bit concerned about what you say about coughing, if there is any chance you are aspirating (the water going down the wrong wsy, into your windpipe) that is dangerous and you should go to the doctor now, not later.

Getting IV infusions is a stop gap measure in cases of acute dehydration. Not a long term solution to your issue (though might be required briefly if you become dehydrated). Is it only water that you have trouble with? What about food? Liquids other than water (e.g. slightly thicker ones)? Have you seen your doctor(s) again to inform them that you are still having difficulty swallowing? In cases such as yours, if normal swallowing cannot be regained, tubes are sometimes placed into the stomach through which water and nutrition can be given. Patients can usually learn to do this at home.

It is crystal clear that, by law, you can keep the health benefit for life if you make the payments. And many foreignrrs have done this. One does sometimes run into individual local offices who either don't know the process or don't want to be bothered. In that case a call to the head office hotline will usually resilve matters. Or else just go to a different office.

Nobody here can answer question 3. The answer to questions (i) and (ii) are both maybe. You should come to Bangkok with all your records and consult a very experienced hand specialist. I recommend https://www.phyathai.com/en/doctor/dr-panupan-songcharoen Very senior, former head of microsurgery at Siriraj before retiring from government. He is at Phayathai Sundays only. In addition to being clinically excellent he is a very nice, caring, sincere person

I strongly advise against moving to Thailand until her current medical issues have been resolved/fistula is repaired. While she will be eligible for free medical care under the government system, she will be required to start at the government hospital that covers the district where she is registered and may have difficulty getting referred to an appopriate level of care for this. Nakhon Sawan does have a regional level government hospital (in the provincial town; those living in another district need first to be referred from their community hospital). However while fine for many things this will not be suitable for her current needs. And it might take some doing to convince them of this, and they might insist on first trying. Otherwise she can go as a self paying patient to Siriraj but there may be long wait list. Really better to take care of this in the US, with doctors conversant with her medical history, first and defer the move to Thailand. As your funds are very lmited, her current medical issues aside you need to consider how you will pay for medical care for yourself. Even at government hospitals, a serious illness or accident can reach a million baht in fees if ICU care and/or specialuzed surgery involved.

Yes. One gets the yellow book first, with that the pink card (which links to the information in the yellow book) can be automatically issued on tequest, usually done on day yellow book received. To get the yellow book, the Thai holder of the blue book must go in person with the blue book and their ID. People sometimes arrange to get registered at a friend or neighbor's place if not possible to arrange for where they live. Technically the registration should reflect where you actually live, but many people, Thai and foreign, are registered somewhere else for practical reasons. The registration location will affect which hospital you can enrol in under SS so should not be too far away though.

Not very advisable in someone so medically unstable as to require a medically trained attendant.

Trazodone is available in Thailand but I think not in 25mg does. 50 mg and I'm not sure if the tablets are scored or not. Its use for insomnia is off-label. While drowsiness is the most common side effecst there are other m0ore serious ones in some peopel inlcuding heart abnormalities. Best to get a doctor's advice first before taking. Antihistamines like doxylamine (Sominar) and hydroxyzine (many brands) are more readily available. These too can cause grogginess and may affect cognition especially in the elderly and especially if taken every night.

For free care need to go through the government system which means using whatever hospital applies to that catchment area. If you are talking about paying out of pocket instead, choice if surgeon more important that choice of hospital. Siriraj and Chulalingkorn both have some excellent doctors but there may be long wait list for durgery and ptocedures unless you use private channels which cost more, in some cases similar to mid range private hosputal costs. Exactly what type of surgery is required and how soon? Or is it a GI soecialist (non-surgeon) that is needed? 3 hours N of Bangkok -- which province? Trying to figure out whether Chula or Siriraj more convenient.

As I explained the health benefit (option to continue it for life through self pay) is unrelated to the retirement/pension/ lump dum benefit. Though some local SS offices wrongly state otherwise (in which case call thd main SS hotline). They hive other wrong info at times as well, I think to avoid dealing with Section 39 as many have no experience with it. I do not know how the pension/lump sum option works when someone stops wirk before age 55.

The health benefit continues for life as long as you keep up the payments. Anybody can continue the health benefit on a self pay option after they stop working, regardless of age, and this is untelated the lump sum vs pension option at retirement age. Because Thais who go off SS are automatically covered under the "30 baht" scheme for free, it is very rare for them to opt to continue coverage under Section 39. As a result, local SS offices have limited experience with it and not infrequently give wrong information. There are lidts of hospitals which accept SS but being on the list does not mean a hospital is currently accepting new patients under SS. Some -- especially in Bangkok -- have waiting lists many years long.

It is OTC in Thailand. No prescription needed. There are less expensive local brands.

Not in Hua Hin. The government psych hospital on the Thonburi side of Bangkok has some doctors who can speak English though it is basically oriented towards Thais. https://www.somdet.go.th/ There are also several psychiatrists at Thonburi Hospital https://www.thonburihospital.com/en/doctorprofile/?doctor_name=&department=340&specialist=346&trp-form-language=en If the patient is a child or adolescent, suggest DR. PANOM KETUMARN there Otherwise, best options are in Bangkok proper. For detailed assessment and diagnosis I would suggest https://www.manarom.com/index_eng.html

Whete in Thailand will you be living? Thai nationals can get free care through the government system at hospital which covers the location where they have house registration (or other facility that they refer the patient to when necessary). Make sure to live in a large city or a provincial capital town which has a regional level hospital. And to be listed in a housebook ("tabian ban") there.

Mire than Satyrdays at BCH. Several weekdays as well.

US trained (UCLA). Forner president of Thai Heart Assoc. Retired Chula professor. Excellent. Vast experience and very perceptive. Very nice person. He is nowadays only at BCH AFAIK.

By far best place in Thailand, devoted solely to refractive surgery. The first to do it in Thailand and has done more procedures than anyplace else. https://www.trsclasik.com/en I had it done there 25 years ago with excellent results.

I take it by Mos you mean this dental clinic in Bangkok? https://www.mosdentalclinic.com/en/home-en/ If so, I have not heard any feedback on them; maybe someone else has.. But choice is abundant in Bangkok. Among clinics AN members have recommended are: https://bangkokdentalcenter.com/ http://www.dentalhospitalbangkok.com/ https://www.thantakit.com/ If concerned sbout cost, this government faciluty will vost less https://dt.mahidol.ac.th/language/en/hospital-mudent-2/ Why on earth would you prefer them to drill through the crown rather than remove it (normal procedure and best in terms if sereng and removong all decay)? Either way you end up needing a new crown.

There are several companies that do this but it is expensive. You can google for ones based in Thailand. If modification to the aircraft needed (for example to accomodate a stretcher and possibly medical equipment), even more costly. And special evacuation flight -- very, very expensive indeed. About 50k £ or more. In my years on this board I do not recall anyone ending up using a company for this due to the high cost, excepting those with insurance (in which case the insurer usually arranges). Most people DIY it. There was a thread in the past year about a UK man with dementia. Ultimately the friend went ahead and accompanied him. Hiring a local person to do so is complicated by visa considerations. First step is to get a "Fit to Fly" certificate from the hospital. This will spell out requirements e.g. accompaniment (travel alone, travel with escort, or require medical staff to accompany etc); special seating requirements; oxygen/other medical equipment etc etc. Most private hospitals have internationsl depts which will facilitate this. Second step once requirements are known is to contact the airlines. If medical personnel must accompany, this will be hard to arrange on one's own. Start by asking the hospital but might have to use a company. Given what it will cost, usually better to pay for care in Thailand at least initially until more stable and needing less intensive assistance. Best thing is to have, in advance, an insurance policy that covers this.

That is the correct website. I use it often paying with a US credit card. This is saved to my account. I suggest you open your account settings and try adding the card(s) you want to use first. Click one as default. Then see if it works.

It would be better if you could take both amlodopine 5mg and Valsartan 160 mg. If you cannot find Valsartan, amlodopine alone is better than nothing.

https://thainews.prd.go.th/nbtworld/news/view/1469111/?bid=1

Moved to Health Forum. The SS act has not been amended since 2015. There is talk of amending it in future but I have not heard anything to suggest that the proposed changes would affect health cover for life through self contributions after retirement.