TravelerEastWest

Local labor departments can be different - don't fool around by cheating - not worth it. You can actually hire two staff and pay them their salaries.

I have done this with a bit of help - the paperwork is not hard but best left to the pros until you have gone through it at least once. Depending on your location you can normally get a two year permit and yes they may come out to visit you. although not always. So have your office with company name put up. Only two employees needed since you have a Thai wife.

I don't have many Phalaenopsis (Butterfly) orchids ar home and they have many at the hospital - I enjoy looking at them. Pianos don't mean that much to me but for others they probably do mean something. Doctors are important and sometimes nurses are even more important. Also good cashiers and pharmacists are important. I also like it when I have to go to a number of different clinics they have customer service staff to make sure everything goes smoothly. Clean bathrooms at a clinic and hospital are also important. As is the newest equipment and convenient parking and so on... I am happy to pay a bit extra for all the above. I understand that not everyone feels the same. Some people probably want a good doctor and don't care about the environment... I respect that but not me. Sometimes I feel quite stressed at the hospital and the nice environment calms me down. As point of reference I am also willing to pay extra for nice restaurants and hotels although theses days I don't travel at all and very rarely eat outside. I prefer home cooking!

In regards to your only one area comment - I am sorry to say it has not been only one area - I wish that you were correct! Yes, friends often do share the same point of view - very good point - but in this case no-one that I know likes to wait for long periods of time not just friends... But no doubt there are some people who will completely agree with you... Good news that CM Ram has improved their parking! I hope all patients can easily walk to the hospital in less than a minute not just a few. Good to hear that you don't wait long - maybe they have made an effort to update and improve - which is great. Note on rare occasions I have to wait at Bangkok hospital also this is when the doctor is called away for an emergency or urgent care, The extra cost at Bangkok Hospital is so small that I don't pay any attention to it. And as I clearly mentioned if you factor in time savings Bangkok hospital is much cheaper - at least for those of us who are still working and have children. I completely agree with you that it is good to go where you get the care that you need - and when I said being comfortable I meant that. As for being a Cost accountant funny that you should mention that as while I am not a cost accountant, nor did I say I was - I did enjoy cost accounting and still do. It is funny because most accountants did not have much of an interest in the field. Instead I was a tax accountant - which is not considered fun by most but I find it very interesting like playing chess... In summary you seem very happy where you are getting your medical care and this is great! I was not happy at CM Ram and it felt like a breath of fresh air to visit the then new Bangkok hospital. Doctors that did not make you wait, all new equipment and easy parking. I hope that both of us dont need to visit either hospital too much in the near future! All the best!

Actually I am an accountant by training so I am very good at costs. I have had diabetes for more than 30 years so I have had (sadly) lots of experience with the costs of doctors and hospitals. I have a number of friends who have used both hospitals - no one that I know would disagree with my opinion about costs. What part of my post do you disagree with? 1) Parking? Unless they have recently built a large parking area walking distance to the hospital then they have challenges as I stated. At Bangkok hospital you simply park in the back and have a one minute walk at most. 2) Wait times for appointments? If your CM Ram appointments are on time with no extra waits - that is really great and I am seriously happy for you! But my experience has been waits - even with appointments - it seems like an appointment means they have your files on hand but it is still first come first served...Also they must have computerized by now - in the past retrieved paper files! 3) I also said that CM Ram has good doctors and nurses - do you disagree? Also I have observed that many doctors, specialists especially serve more than one hospital. Do you agree? 4) Atmosphere - this could be subjective but Bangkok hospital is new and well decorated with beautiful orchids everywhere. Plus a piano etc. Maybe CM Ram is now as beautiful - not sure as I have not been there for a while. 5) Having a good doctor for a long time - this would be probably the only reason I would go to CM Ram. Maybe hey could have a certain specialty that only they have in CM another good reason... 6) As for fees I have compared actual fees for doctors and they are similar - with Bangkok hospital being a bit more expensive but for me it is much cheaper when you factor in time saved. Maybe this is what you meant when you mentioned - opinions - if so you are 100% correct! In the end it is good to go where you are comfortable and if you prefer CM Ram you that is good.

CM Ram certainly has some good doctors and nurses (sometimes the same as at Bangkok hospital) but they have a long wait time to see doctors - and that is with an appointment also their parking situation shall we politely say needs improvement? As for fees they are very similar, Bangkok hospital is slightly more. However, if you factor in time saved Bangkok hospital is much lower in cost - much lower... Unless you place no value on your time? I ma not retired and have children to pickup from school etc so time saved is very important to me - plus I like to minimize my time in hospitals.. Also Bangkok hospital has a more pleasant atmosphere. But if you have a good doctor at CM Ram who you have been seeing for many years that alone is a good enough reason to stay.

Bangkok hospital overall has better service/waiting times and better parking. I used to go to CM Ram...

Dr Joy at Bangkok hospital

Get a good CPA to start - then find a reliable lawyer that you trust. Trademark your business name not expensive but takes some time... If you need to pay the Mafia don't start the business.

Kerry is almost as bad for me - I live at teh end of their daily route in my area....

OK I got it you are a troll - good luck with your life.

You may want to be be less cynical but if it makes you happy carry on - do you have experience as a teacher - do you have lots of teachers as friends and family? Note - I do hence my comment. Most teachers are dedicated and care about their students and often spend their own money for classroom supplies. This is a fact that I have observed over many years. There are a few teachers who made a mistake being teachers and are not happy to be in their jobs; and not only may dream of a few extra days off but of a whole new life - but they are not the majority.

I doubt it was because the teachers wanted to stay home and when children have COVID it is a serious problem for grandparents and other high risk people near them and there are lots of elderly and high risk people in this world... But I suspect taht you already know this...

Difficult to get adults to be safe - very, very difficult to get kids to be safe... Even with modern ventilation systems it is hard to be safe. I think a number of private schools in Thailand have modern ventilation systems but still have some COVID.

I am not a person trained in science so it would not help if I had data - so I dont read research papers - you need a very good understanding of statistics as a minimum to understand research papers. If we are to go with general news reports, kids get less sick compared to adults, but some kids get sick and some die. Also kids that get sick even if they get better very quickly spread COVID to at risk groups their grandparents etc.

COVID is so frustrating looks like it will be a while before life goes back to normal... I hope all those kids had their vaccines and booster shot so it will just be like a bad cold or flu.

I like iPhones - easy to use and strong

Great questions! Also which is easy to use and has automatic updates?

Not the same experience. I found the staff very slow to respond and the letters they send out have address mistakes etc very careless. Possibly they are overworked? Basically they know what they are doing but don't do a professional job. They do seem to care but again they seem to be over worked?

She is good and her nickname is Dr Joy - I mentioned her above with her nickname - I should have added her real name... Except she never mentioned nutrition to me and exercise only in passing - which is not good... She is a kind, well trained modern doctor but not what I need - and I have been her patient since Bangkok Hospital Chiang Mai opened.

A good thought but I doubt that junior consular officers are needed in Bangkok and those are teh ones who help with passports etc

I responded to point B to be helpful. Point A is not known at the moment but I would say 95% it is due to COVId which is certainly not over from what people I know tell me - as in they got sick recently. The lucky thing is that those I know who were vaccinated got better and did not need to go to the hospital. As for your point C I don't understand you.

Local nationals are not foreign service officers but they are consulate staff and from what I can see while traveling this is normal around the world.

Where did you hear that? I doubt it highly as I was told by an American staff member a few years ago that it is a post in high demand. It would also be a job in high demand by Thai nationals

I agree - I take 2,500 units which is as high as I will go...