2009

33 minutes ago, Celsius said:

 

1.6 million baht.

 

Looks extremely overpriced. 

Exactly.

Built our 3 bedroom house for less than that and it looks like a REAL house -not far off Western standard - designed and project managed by a qualified architect from a massive well known firm. Okay, he is kinda a friend of the family and gave a friendly price, but still...

This guy's one for 1.6m (I'm sorry to say) looks like his wife's uncle or father build it (tin roof n all) for a few hundred thousand and pocketed over a million in his own bank account.

Some things here are pretty good value here.

And some things are terrible value/standard to the point where it would be illegal in most of the world.

Anyway, what do YOU think it GOOD VALUE over here?

18 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

It is Ok though the  abdominal ultrasound is unnecessary.

Can I infer that you mean the other tests would cover that (i.e. the liver and kidney function tests would detect problems, therefore the ultrasound is not needed)?

Is there any scenario where you could have something up with your liver (e.g. cancer tumor) but the liver function test comes back within normal range?

31 minutes ago, Lorry said:

First, you focus too much on cost saving policies of the NHS. I have heard terrible stories about the NHS, but my point of reference is Western Europe. 

Second, you are  not alone in having difficulties grasping the meaning of statistics for personal decisions. 

If you profit from an X-ray statistically by .01%, and statistically it will harm you by .02%, you shouldn't do it. It's a futile money-making exercise. 

From an objective point of view, you may be right. The masses don't care about one individual

But from a subjective point of view (e.g. someone who wants a mid-life screening to make sure things are in order) it makes sense. And if it catches a disease early then it's money well spent.

Something might show up in the screening (hopefully not) and that would be important for the individual - not the overall population at large. Who cares about others, really anyway?

I suppose you don't recommend routine STD for sexually active people?

And before you answer, I'd like to inform you that the odds of a sexually active heterosexual having HIV, for example, are far far far far less than the odds of them having: undiagosed diabetes, a liver problem, a kidney problem, a heart attack about to happen, a stroke about to happen, or even some kind of cancer diagnosis over the next decade.

These things are common. They are the biggest killers in humans.

14 minutes ago, Lorry said:

As Sheryl explained before: if you screen healthy people,  you will find many false positives and you will bring them into the diagnostic machinery,  which may be quite invasive and harmful. 

PSA is an example: not testing will miss some cancers (some of them will never spread),  testing will result in a lot of unnecessary harmful biopsies. So in case of PSA, it's a difficult decision. 

 

X-rays are harmful per se, so they should rarely be used as a screening tool. To x-ray millions of healthy people (in order to find one case of cancer,  your acquaintance) you may cause two radiation-related cancers. It's a question of statistics. 

 

Screening is useful if its harmless and there is a reasonably high chance of finding something. Blood in stool ifs the best example.

FBS and HbA1c in elderly farang in Thailand,  too, not if you are 41. Same for lipid profile.

 

Ultrasound of healthy people is harmless and fun, but the results are too unspecific to be useful (same for the tumor markers and CBC).

 

These packages are money-making exercises feeding on the naive belief in technology in medicine. 

Surely getting a couple of X-rays in your lifetime (I wouldn't be doing it every year) isn't likely to result in cancer. Especially, compared with all the carcinogens in our life nowadays.

And they ain't gonna biopsy anything if they don't find something to biopsy. I don't really get your point on this one.

I can actually think of almost 10 people I personally know, or friends of family, who were diagnosed with, or died from, something in the West that could have been spotted years before if had they been screened. The GP was using statistics, of course, while managing his budget and didn't want to send them up to the hospital.

I think there is a place for these big comprehensive screenings once a decade (less in-depth testing more regularly perhaps) after you become middle-aged and the benefits likely outweigh the risks.

7 hours ago, Lorry said:

Exactly. 

2 unnecessary radiation

3+4 maybe fun, but useless

5+6 can't hurt

7 useless in a healthy person

8,9 good idea

10 if you really want to check the liver,  check yGT, not the stuff they check

11 one of both is good enough,  preferably creatinine

12 good idea

13 can't hurt

14 good idea

15 hotly debated as a screening test

16,17 not suitable as screening test

18 useless in a healthy person, not suitable as a screening test

Could you elaborate at little please?

X-rays and ultrasounds can definitely show things that are there, even in asymptomatic people.

I know someone who had a 6cm cancerous tumor in the lung without symptoms found while doing a routine chest x-ray for a working visa.

12 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

A lot there that a healthy perdkn in their 30's does  not need. Including a few things not suitable for  routine screening at any age.

 

 

This is the one  they have for people in their 30s.

What do you make of it?

What do yous think of this check-up (for men aged 40 plus)at Mission Hospital for 10,900? 

On 8/28/2022 at 1:10 PM, internationalism said:

yes, red cross does offer, if you have full day to spare.

Come early morning, to take your number. 

If you come 9-10am might be too late.

No online or phone booking system.

Each governmental hospital does for some 1800b, that's at their vip wing (if yours has one) and pretty fast (special line).

You can request additional tests, for example several cancer markers, ultrasound, ecg.

You might also think about 3 stool exams for blood

So, at the Red Cross, it's just the blood tests for 600? Is that correct?

What blood tests are covered?

2 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

I’ve had this...  

 

I know my way around Bangkok - I’ve driven here for over 20 years (both cars and motorcycles). 

I know the short-cuts, I know the traffic and in most cases know where I’m going and how to get there more than the taxi driver and can speak decent enough Thai to articulate such and be understood. 

 

Some guys are just d!<ks and still don’t know that I know more than them and want to take me down a ‘busier route’ (since google maps its also been easier to identify faster routes).

If we haven’t moved off yet or have only moved a very short distance I just get out. 

If we’ve moved a reasonable distance (i.e. 1km etc) I pay the meter rate and get out. 

I do the same (get out) if the driver is using his phone and won’t put it down or if there is no seatbelt in the back etc.

 

 

If the taxi driver is an ayhole Its very childish but makes me chuckle - my little protest: not closing the door fully. 

 

 

 

Lol, I just didn't pay him.

He was going the wrong way then told me to get out.

But he did say I was to pay the 40 something baht for my trouble 

On 9/12/2022 at 9:26 AM, Sparktrader said:

What is objective travel?

Doing a visa run.

I would invest.

48 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

By being a taxi driver they have ’theoretically’ agreed to the terms of service they provide

Exactly

Imagine if other occasions acted the way taxis do

If they are working as a meter taxi driver they should follow the rules.

If not then they can hang around street corners in a regular vehicle to try to pick up customers.

I usually get rejected about 5 times at least before getting a pick up.

I even had one the other night, make a wrong turn after a few minutes of me stepping into the taxi, and when I informed him he was going the wrong way, he told me I could get out if I wanted (but he expected me to pay what was the meter). Lol

2 hours ago, ChaiyaTH said:

Why not actually try and obtain to get licensed in the first place.

That's the idea, but they keep changing the rules and some of us are running out of time.

Now we have to take a test which is only available once or twice a year.

And before you can even apply to take the test you have to have a DipEd or higher and if it's from another country you have to get them to check it's validity which is taking a really long time these days, like some people have been waiting since last year.

It's pretty much a joke at this point and if you run out of waivers you need to find a new place to work.

2 hours ago, AsianAtHeart said:

If you haven't worked in Thailand before, it is not possible, as a foreigner, to get the Kurusapa license or registration before having worked as a teacher in a Thai school for one year--at least, that is what I was informed today when I called Kurusapa at their "Call Center โทร. 02-3049899."  Thais can register with Kurusapa via their National ID number, but foreigners, even if they have their Thai 13-digit ID number, are in a separate category--so I was told.

 

If, therefore, one is to work legally on a work permit, it must be possible to work without the Kurusapa license.  It is the school, once you are already working there, that will apply and process your Kurusapa application.

 

If you can read Thai, you may get more info at Kurusapa's website:  http://site.ksp.or.th/

You would get a temporary license (also known as a waiver) right away.

The "having to work at a school for one year" thing is just when you go to apply for the full license.

1 minute ago, ChaiyaTH said:

This is Thailand, depends on your connection and deal with any particular business that wants to hire you. Came across plenty teachers without papers but yet a job, while other teachers at the same school did have formal paperwork.

Well, I am talking about getting the work permit without a teaching license or waiver, not working illegally. I understand that is an option at some schools.

So, what exactly are our options for teaching without license/waiver?

Of course: language schools and universities.

But what about colleges, international schools, and satit schools?

I have heard mixed reports on those.

Any clarification? Experiences?

8 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

Quite easily and happens frequently .

Buy a girl a drink and then three others come and join you and thats a 1000 Baht for a round of drinks , five drinks and thats 5000 Baht

What kind of idiot does that?

Christ, I spend around that in Makro every month and I buy some highly taxed foreign foods too.

You could live off chicken thighs, potatoes, carrots, and onions for 1000 baht a month.

6 minutes ago, mikeymike100 said:

An Indian is not a farang?

Nope.

'Farang' is only used, by Thais, to describe whites.

They have been saying it since they saw their first white men who were Francais.

Alright lads,

Let's go down Walking Street and claim 200k for every time we're groped by a lady(boy).

Will definitely exit the street a millionaire.

19 hours ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

He could well have been overcharged and then threatened with violence and feared for his safety and took defensive measures by hiding from the perpetrators ? 

Exactly,

How does one end up with a 5000 baht bar bill anyway??