howerde

Starting 60 000 pounds with extras depending on your condition could easily be 160 000

Our medical transportation services from Bangkok to the UK start from £65,000, and flights from Chiang Mai to the UK start from £60,000.

https://www.iasmedical.com/asia/air-ambulance-thailand/

1 hour ago, MyThai1 said:

But does being born to a British parent automatically make you a British citizen, i thought you had too apply for citizenship. 

Generally it is automatic, see this link

https://www.gov.uk/apply-citizenship-british-parent/born-on-or-after-1-july-2006

1 minute ago, KannikaP said:

josephblogg said a little earlier, that he is also going to get a UK Visa on his son's passport. Now it gets confusing. 

 

patman30 has it right  

https://www.gov.uk/standard-visitor/apply-standard-visitor-visa      on this link see the following statement

Your application will not be accepted and you will not get a refund if you have the right of abode in the UK (for example you’re a British citizen). You need to apply for a certificate of entitlement instead.

I do not remember seeing this before, perhaps they are enforcing the rules more vigorously  as his children have a right of abode it seems 2 choices either wait for British passport or apply for certificate of entitlement

https://www.gov.uk/right-of-abode

On 3/22/2023 at 8:35 AM, Sheryl said:

Can you olprovide details of a pharmacy that will sell Jardiance over the counter?

The Healthy Corner pharmacy in Prawet sells it  https://www.google.com/maps/place/HEALTHY+CORNER/@13.6991031,100.7028528,18.25z/data=!4m5!3m4!1s0x0:0x79a5a05247e68703!8m2!3d13.69867!4d100.704545

This is at Lat krabang  Bangkok a small pharmacy on one of those small shopping areas,(ill get the name next time i pass) i have seen this in other pharmacies as well. i usually bought online was about 1800 baht, but this pharmacy was 1600 ( i bought 3 packets) i think at the hospital it was around 2500 baht at Bumrungrad and quite odd, they refused to sell me antibiotics for an infected finger,  told me to try fucidin, if that did not work go to a doctor

Jardiance 10mg cost about 1600-1800 baht  for 30 tablets from a pharmacy, expect to pay a lot more at a hospital pharmacy probably 40% more

I would stay away from any Thai insurer, there is no independent adjudicator or ombudsman,  i am of similar age been with the insurer about 5 years, made a small outpatient claim about 15000 baht, at renewal it went up 82% , they tried saying this was a result of going up an age bracket, case closed to them.  this was just a back up insurance for my visa, they wanted 85 000 baht for the 40 000 outpatient cover and 400 000 in patient cover and added a load of exclusions. get a decent insurance from your home country or at least an international policy from an overseas company

9 minutes ago, bradiston said:

Do you have any links to any of these claims, which I don't dispute, but have no idea if they're true. 150% of the costs? Inter agency sharing of data? Between the NHS and Home Office?

 

Medical tourism is a huge cash cow for Thailand. $5 billion and counting pa. What you're talking about is the exploitation of free, or subsidised, medical services.

 

https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/thailand-medical-tourism-market#:~:text=Thailand Medical Tourism Market Outlook,at a robust 18.4 % CAGR.

Hi,  Yes everything is true, below link  to how your application is dealt with

chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1123969/Suitability_Debt_to_the_NHS.pdf

I know personally i was stopped a few years ago at Heathrow, i had a few thousand in cash. i was asked, where the money was from i had the bank receipt, he was happy, but took my passport and copied it down on a form, i asked him where the form went and he said other government agencies, i have no doubt this went to the HMRC, to see if i was paying tax,,

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-the-nhs-charges-overseas-visitors-for-nhs-hospital-care/how-the-nhs-charges-overseas-visitors-for-nhs-hospital-care

Any treatment that may have to be paid for will be charged at 150% of the national NHS rate.

As for health tourism i was talking about  visitors or even expats who are not habituality resident in uk , flying to the Uk to get free medical care, Thailand may be a health destination, but this is not for UK residents the Value of the sterling against the Baht, does not make it worth while, uk residents would just go to europe.

18 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

That's only for Brits not normally resident in the UK.

It's free treatment for all foreigners/tourists involved in accidents.

No it is not, that changed years ago, only the initial A and E treatment is free, once admitted or recieving treatment  outside A and E, EU citizens might still get it free, not sure what changed at brexit

Hospital services

Hospital treatment is free to people who are "ordinarily resident" in the UK.

To be considered ordinarily resident and entitled to free hospital treatment, you must be living in the UK on a lawful and properly settled basis for the time being. You may be asked to prove this.

You cannot be considered ordinarily resident in the UK unless you have indefinite leave to remain or status under the EU Settlement Scheme.

https://www.nhs.uk/nhs-services/visiting-or-moving-to-england/how-to-access-nhs-services-in-england-if-you-are-visiting-from-abroad/

Services that are free to everyone

Some services or treatments carried out in an NHS hospital are exempt from charges, so they're free to all.

These include:

• A&E services – not including emergency treatment if admitted to hospital

12 minutes ago, NoshowJones said:

What would be the situation if a Thai person got the same treatment in a UK hospital? It would be interesting to know. I have no idea as I have lived in Thailand now for years.

In the UK  you would be taken to hospital all treatment at A and E(accident and emergency) is free to all, if admitted then if not a resident you are charged 150% of the normal cost, and the bill mounts up start claiming on your insurance,  the difference is that you would be treated with payment due later.  your hospital bills are shared with government agencies, so if you left the UK without paying, this is on your record and would not be able to apply for any UK visa until the debt is paid( these are rules that have come about in recent years to stop medical tourism).  i would not be surprised if they now use debt collection agencies to reclaim the money when you return home

FWD is a Thai insurer, i know Thais who use it to supplement their work cover they say it is very good, my experience of Thai insurers for foreigners is not good to say the least, but maybe they treat Thais better, for what it's worth she pays about 50 000 baht a year no existing conditions

At CW  you need to have done a 90day report, 

I would caution against a Thai insurance company, i have a policy to cover my visa health insurance , i have had it 5 years last year had an small injury, so thought might as well claim on the outpatient cover the claim was turned down as i had not reported it within 24 hours, it was a mild burn, anyway after seeing the doctor i mentioned this to him, to be fair he spoke to someone and my claim was accepted max payout 1900 baht per visit max claims 10 a year this for the 40 000/400 000 insurance, so the max claim per year for out patient 19 000 baht so much for 40 000 of cover,   and to top it all this years premium for this measly cover jumped to 80 000 baht up from 32000, they tried to claim this was normal.

There are no easy options to people in this situation, i had a parent die of dementia so have seen first hand the distress it causes, as you are aware her condition will only get worse and she will need 24hr care( i have had friends with parents in the same situation and the elderly have always ended up in a hospice), the government publish this list, . i see you want to care for her at home which is great, do not underestimate how much this takes out of you time/emotionally, home help can be tricky as there is a huge difference between helping someone who is frail and Alzheimer's/ dementia care,  I hope everything works out for you

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/thailand-care-homes/list-of-care-homes-for-british-nationals-in-thailand

The only place that i have seen with a fantastic reputation is in Chang mai

https://mckean.or.th/dok-kaew-gardens/

2 minutes ago, DrukenMallardy said:

 

Bangkok, I normally use chaengwattana immigration, I just had my visa renewed so haven't done a 90 day report yet.

CW will not issue one without  a 90 day report, have you ever done one at CW, as you renewed your visa/extension of stay, i assume a TM 30 has been done

Where are you living? if in Bangkok then you need to have done a 90 day report, costs 200 baht and they mail it to you within 2 weeks

You need to be resident in the UK to have a bank account, some people might use a relatives address, but if the bank know you a non resident, they may want to see some evidence ie council tax bill etc, some might arrange this before they move to Thailand, but the banks are slowly enforcing this requirement(money laundering/scammers etc). you can open international accounts in jersey/guernsey or isle of man, without living there, but there  maybe minimum deposit requirements. i have read that starling bank and revolut dont ask for an address

Just now, DodgerRodger said:

Yes, I heard about Bang Chak only accepting applications for their area (how that is defined I have no idea) but the 2-month wait is way to long for me.  The validity of the residence certificate seems to be a problem if the local office state one month when the DLT website says one year.  Thailand never ceases to amaze...

Nothing is consistent, you could go and see, in Thailand the rules can bend/change day to day person to person, sometimes you get the right person

On 1/9/2023 at 3:55 PM, DodgerRodger said:

Thanks Richard.  I may try Bang Chak as you suggest.  My first port of call when I arrive in April.

 

However, there's always a Catch(22).  I am a frequent visitor (TE like yourself) to Thailand but with other commitments I have difficulty in achieving the 90 day report needed in BKK to get the residency certificate.  I have a UK Embassy issued certificate from November last year (valid for one year) but they have since stopped providing this service.  Hence my urgency.  Last November I contacted two of the oft quoted motorcycle shops that help foreigners apply for driving licences.  Firstly they only use Chatujak.  Secondly they need at least 4-5 weeks to complete the process (which I couldn't do last visit) and thirdly they claim that appointment booking cannot be made in advance of the rolling one-month windows that are made available by DLT and lastly I have to be present at DLT to make the booking.

 

Hence my search for a viable alternative to BKK as a Plan B

 

Rock on!!! 

I  received my 2 year license at Bang Chak Sep last year you needed an appointment i had to wait 2 months, they would only accept a residence certificate that was a max of 1 month old, same with the medical certificate, one thing they did or at least say they did was check that my address was within their area,  I had an IDP so did not need to do the online exam, though things seem to change daily you could try one of the agencies on face book that offer the service

1 hour ago, Bazt said:

Fantastic , that looks the way to go

Sorry to carry on just checking that the said Non-O don't require Thai Insurance ?

Will travel insurance cover for the year be good enough

Cheers

Also bear in mind that travel policies in the UK at least usually are for 30 or 60 days some maybe 90, even an annual multi travel policy are usually limited to 180 days cover a year. best see a broker as if you are on a non o visa they might deem you to be resident in Thailand at least for travel insurance

You can get annual policies but i found the cost was the same as getting health insurance

Think carefully has your friend complained to the hospital using their internal process ? and given them every opportunity to fix the issues?, you need to follow it through getting everything in writing. I do not want to discourage you but the hospital legal firms will be tier 1 law firms. with ample money, they can take months/years if necessary(just drag it out til you give up) , and as for getting any meaningful compensation as you would expect in the west that will not happen, at best they might just might have to try and rectify the problem, and as we all know you can not mention the hospital or doctors. i wish your friend good luck 

Should have added you have to print off the form and take it to the trendy building along with the supporting documents everything is on the link including what documents you need to take, it seems there is an office in Chang Mai as well

Nothing is easy,  you can not apply online for a passport in Thailand all applications are paper and handled by ukvi at the trendy building in Bangkok, the link seems to talk about renewing a passport or applying for a first passport dont see why you cant get a new one,  you might have to apply for an emergency travel document also called an emergency passport that is done by the British embassy costs 100 quid

https://www.gov.uk/emergency-travel-document/how-to-apply

It takes  up to 12 weeks to get a passport in Thailand some have reported getting it in 6 weeks

Looks like follow this link and state applying from Thailand it then walks you through the process,  it currently says allow 13 weeks to receive a new passport

https://www.gov.uk/overseas-passports

On 1/2/2023 at 10:25 AM, nigelforbes said:

Why do you think dementia care in the UK is light years ahead of Thailand?

My mother had dementia i saw what it did to her( i saw the care and compassion given by medical staff, there were dementia groups where the patients were encouraged to engage in the activities i have seen the care here in Thailand of the elderly( there were very few Thai staff the doctors yes, the care staff were from Myanmar( i doubt they had any meaningful medical training), remember the smiles/ seemingly  helpful attitudes  in Thailand mean nothing, in the UK i saw compassion with the medical staff, not here it is just another job but with a smile that soon fades if you scratch beneath the surface

I live here full time now but have been coming to Thailand for over 30 years, and have experienced the medical system here myself and seen Thai friends treatment.