Emergency Medical care

[davhend25]

Hello all,

 

At the risk of posing a question without any good or reasonable answers, I'm going to ask it anyway...

I'm an American staying here on a Non-immigrant visa, using "Retirement" as the basis for my annual extensions. I live in a small town/village about 3 driving hours south of Bangkok, 2 hours south of Pattaya, and about 45 driving minutes north of Chanthaburi City. 

 

I have a Thai wife who owns her own townhouse. There is a small hospital here offering only rudimentary medical care. The one doctor I have seen here, to get a prescription for baby aspirin, while very nice, does not seem anywhere close to a western trained physician.  And no one here speaks even basic English, including the doctors and pharmacists. I literally have to draw pictures for everything that I need. The language thing is not a complaint...the Thai people here shouldn't be obligated to speak a foreign language (English) just for my benefit.  I do speak a little Thai, but not nearly enough to make life easier.  I take my Thai wife everywhere I go for this reason.

 

Back to subject; I would like to stay here long term if possible. I'm on the wrong side of 65 with a multitude of medical issues which I currently have under control, but as we all know, "things happen."  I do have major medical insurance from a retirement program back, in the U.S. that I can keep, regardless of age, as long as I continue to fund the policy.  But my concern is making it to a credible hospital in time, from where I am currently living, in a medical emergency.  I asked my wife who she would call in an emergency, and she had no idea...actually, I think she initially said "the police."  You can see my concern.  I also neglected to mention that we don't currently have a car. I'm working on that, however, at the moment.

 

Short of moving closer to either Chanthaburi City or Pattaya, does anyone have any ideas or strategies that might be employed for getting medical care in an emergency situation, i.e., stroke, heart attack, appendix rupture, etc.?

 

One of the problems with language, is that you can't ask anyone about anything. I can't go to the local hospital/clinic and ask what would happen if I showed up there some night with crushing chest pain. What would they do?  

 

Any advice or thoughts about my situation here would be appreciated!

 

Thanks in advance for any replies.

 

DH

Na Yai Am, Chanthaburi Province

 

 

 

 

 

[simon43]

Although I'm not in Thailand - I live in Myanmar, I am also concerned abput what might happen if I have a serious accident or sudden illness - there being no decent hospital in the ... er ... whole country!

I have medical insurance which includes evacuation insurance to a private hospital in Bangkok.

I have a printed copy of my medical insurance in my passport, which I carry at all times.

I have 'dog-tags' around my neck with my name, insurance number, blood group details and 'Evacuate to Bangkok' in bold letters.

I also have a sticker on my motorcycle with similar details.

But all of this won't do me much good if I crash my dirt-bike and am hours from even the most basic of clinics. For this reason, I ride my bike VERY carefully....

Update : Why is this post in the 'I drink too much forum'? That's not why I crash my bike :)

Edited February 26, 2018 by simon43

[davhend25]

10 minutes ago, simon43 said:

Although I'm not in Thailand - I live in Myanmar, I am also concerned abput what might happen if I have a serious accident or sudden illness - there being no decent hospital in the ... er ... whole country!

I have medical insurance which includes evacuation insurance to a private hospital in Bangkok.

I have a printed copy of my medical insurance in my passport, which I carry at all times.

I have 'dog-tags' around my neck with my name, insurance number, blood group details and 'Evacuate to Bangkok' in bold letters.

I also have a sticker on my motorcycle with similar details.

But all of this won't do me much good if I crash my dirt-bike and am hours from even the most basic of clinics. For this reason, I ride my bike VERY carefully....

Update : Why is this post in the 'I drink too much forum'? That's not why I crash my bike :)

Thanks for the reply.  I thought I was posting in the "Health and Medicine" forum."  I clicked on the only "start new topic" button that I could find and my post ended up in this/wrong forum. I obviously don't understand the format of this forum. Any suggestions would be helpful. 

 

Sounds like we have similar issues, except my insurance doesn't cover any evacuations. Carrying your insurance information with you is a great idea which I haven't been doing, but am going to start after reading your post. And yes, ride your dirt-bike very carefully!  My son was into that when in high school. Nothing but broken bones and torn up knees. Years later he still has aches and pains from those bike riding years!

 

Thanks again, for your reply. You post some good ideas!.

 

DH

 

[simon43]

Of course, my advice doesn't really help if you have a heart attack etc and need immediate assistance. Perhaps you could teach your wife how to do CPR?

Years ago, when I ran a small hotel in Phuket, I had a defibrilator. I bought it second hand off Ebay - it was relatively cheap, came with a new battery and had voice commands (in English) how to operate it in an emergency.

[davhend25]

11 minutes ago, simon43 said:

Of course, my advice doesn't really help if you have a heart attack etc and need immediate assistance. Perhaps you could teach your wife how to do CPR?

Years ago, when I ran a small hotel in Phuket, I had a defibrilator. I bought it second hand off Ebay - it was relatively cheap, came with a new battery and had voice commands (in English) how to operate it in an emergency.

Two more solid ideas...thanks, again!!

[Sheryl]

Moving this to the correct forum.

 

It sounds like you are living somewhere between Rayong and Chantaburi, would help if you could specify the name of the district.

 

The Bangkok Hospital chain has private hospitals in both Rayong and Chantabauri, English speaking will certainly be better at these - more so at Rayong

 

http://www.bangkokrayong.com/en

 

http://www.chanthaburihospital.com/

 

I would suggest you try these and if satisfied get their ambulance phone number  and make sure you wife knows it.  The medical emergency number in Thailand is 1669 but you may not  be bale to control where they take you so if time is nto of the essence calling ambulance from the hospital of your choice (or having someone drive oyu there) is preferrable - provided of course you can afford treatment there, which for a catastrophic illness or accident can run to several million baht. Also see if your US insurance would cover emergency care abroad.

 

For anything very complex/specialized, your best recourse is the main government hospital in Chantaburi, it is a large regional level hospital and has most specialtities (the private hospitals referenced are fairly small, just the main specialties). Most of the doctors will speak some English but the admin and nursing staff will not so need a Thai speaker to accompany, but you will find the care and communication with doctors a noticeable cut above what you have encountered locally. Unless an emergency waits will be long, though, going there is an all day affair and need to arrive very early.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[davhend25]

18 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

Moving this to the correct forum.

 

It sounds like you are living somewhere between Rayong and Chantaburi, would help if you could specify the name of the district.

 

The Bangkok Hospital chain has private hospitals in both Rayong and Chantabauri, English speaking will certainly be better at these - more so at Rayong

 

http://www.bangkokrayong.com/en

 

http://www.chanthaburihospital.com/

 

I would suggest you try these and if satisfied get their ambulance phone number  and make sure you wife knows it.  The medical emergency number in Thailand is 1669 but you may not  be bale to control where they take you so if time is nto of the essence calling ambulance from the hospital of your choice (or having someone drive oyu there) is preferrable - provided of course you can afford treatment there, which for a catastrophic illness or accident can run to several million baht. Also see if your US insurance would cover emergency care abroad.

 

For anything very complex/specialized, your best recourse is the main government hospital in Chantaburi, it is a large regional level hospital and has most specialtities (the private hospitals referenced are fairly small, just the main specialties). Most of the doctors will speak some English but the admin and nursing staff will not so need a Thai speaker to accompany, but you will find the care and communication with doctors a noticeable cut above what you have encountered locally. Unless an emergency waits will be long, though, going there is an all day affair and need to arrive very early.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks, Sheryl, as always for your expert information. I am living in Tambon Na Yai Am, Amphoe Na Yai Am. Probably closer to Chanthaburi City than Rayong, but not sure. I know it takes us about 35 or 40 minutes to drive to Chanthaburi City from where we are living. I am familiar with both the private and government hospitals that you reference in your reply. Thank you for the Thailand emergency number. I had previously asked my Thai wife about that, but I don't think she understood my question. She said she would call the local police.

 

My insurance would cover any hospitalization, both inpatient and outpatient, as long as the treatment was considered medically necessary. Any diagnosis like cancer, and I'm on the next plane back to the U.S. and medicare.

 

I didn't know that we could call an ambulance from this distance. My insurance direct bills/pays with the hospitals in the "Bangkok Hospital" group, including the one in Chanthaburi. I already checked on that.

 

I'm sorry this was posted in the wrong forum. I don't know how to post it in the "Health and Medicine" forum.   I think I'm in H &M, but when I click on the only "start new topic" button I can see on the page, my post always winds up in the "I drink too much" sub-forum. Could you please tell me what I'm doing wrong.

 

Thanks again, Sheryl, for your helpful reply to my questions.

 

DH

 

[Sheryl]

Yes, you are closer to Chantaburi -  though I think the English speaking at Bkk Hospital Rayong is generally better (more expat clientele). The difference is about an hour so in a time sensitive emergency you'd best head to Chantaburi.

 

Private hospital will gladly, for a fee, come and get you. But do remember that they will be leaving from the hospital so travel time before you arrive there is doubled. Unless your condition is such as to make it impossible or unsafe to move you, you are generally better off having someone drive you to the hospital.

 

Where you went before was probably the Nai Yam Hospital, it is a tiny (really tiny, as in 10 beds) co0mmunity "hospital", really more of a health center and these places are typically staffed by just 1 doctor who is fresh out of school.

 

Plan on getting all your health care in Chantaburi town unless it is something really minor.

 

 

 

[Pib]

Around every other day for the last month I visited a Thai in-law in large govt hospital in Nakorn Pathom (just outside of Bangkok) who had an accident in his home and had to be rushed to the hospital emergency room.   Head trauma from falling off a ladder...most unconscious and bleeding all the way to the emergency room.

 

How he get to the hospital was the same way most folks in his village get to the hospital--someone took him in their vehicle.  In his case the next door neighbor who just happen to be home.   If an ambulance had been available from the hospital it would have taken around an hour to get to his home and back to the hospital.

 

During those every other day visits I had clear view of the emergency room arrival area...people arriving that were in serious need of emergency care. Lots of old folks who were mostly unconscious and lots of young men who just had motorcycle accidents.  While several ambulances were always being dispatched to pickup patients the great majority (way over 90%) of arrivals to the emergency room were by personal vehicle or taxi with a few rescue trucks thrown in.  Whether the person was conscious or unconscious, bleeding or not, breathing or not, etc.   

 

When it comes to getting to the emergency room in Thailand a person must assume there will be no ambulance available and plan accordingly.  Hopefully you have family/friends/neighbors who can take you to the emergency room. 

 

Do not assume an ambulance will be available like in the home country.   

[davhend25]

3 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Yes, you are closer to Chantaburi -  though I think the English speaking at Bkk Hospital Rayong is generally better (more expat clientele). The difference is about an hour so in a time sensitive emergency you'd best head to Chantaburi.

 

Private hospital will gladly, for a fee, come and get you. But do remember that they will be leaving from the hospital so travel time before you arrive there is doubled. Unless your condition is such as to make it impossible or unsafe to move you, you are generally better off having someone drive you to the hospital.

 

Where you went before was probably the Nai Yam Hospital, it is a tiny (really tiny, as in 10 beds) co0mmunity "hospital", really more of a health center and these places are typically staffed by just 1 doctor who is fresh out of school.

 

Plan on getting all your health care in Chantaburi town unless it is something really minor.

 

 

 

Once again, Thank you, Sheryl.  You are truly a godsend for this forum and the expats who've made Thailand their home.

 

I agree, Chantaburi city is probably our best option if we remain here in Na Yai Am.  I'm working on getting a Thai driver's license and eventually a car of some kind. So far, my wife's sister has been taking us where we need to go, but she is 30 minutes away.  So that time would need to be added in to the total transit time to the hospital.  Not a great situation.  At some point I would like to relocate closer to Rayong or Pattaya, where an ambulance ride to a hospital would be a better possibility.  

 

Thank you, again, for your always valuable input, especially on health related matters.

 

DH

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[davhend25]

2 hours ago, Pib said:

Around every other day for the last month I visited a Thai in-law in large govt hospital in Nakorn Pathom (just outside of Bangkok) who had an accident in his home and had to be rushed to the hospital emergency room.   Head trauma from falling off a ladder...most unconscious and bleeding all the way to the emergency room.

 

How he get to the hospital was the same way most folks in his village get to the hospital--someone took him in their vehicle.  In his case the next door neighbor who just happen to be home.   If an ambulance had been available from the hospital it would have taken around an hour to get to his home and back to the hospital.

 

During those every other day visits I had clear view of the emergency room arrival area...people arriving that were in serious need of emergency care. Lots of old folks who were mostly unconscious and lots of young men who just had motorcycle accidents.  While several ambulances were always being dispatched to pickup patients the great majority (way over 90%) of arrivals to the emergency room were by personal vehicle or taxi with a few rescue trucks thrown in.  Whether the person was conscious or unconscious, bleeding or not, breathing or not, etc.   

 

When it comes to getting to the emergency room in Thailand a person must assume there will be no ambulance available and plan accordingly.  Hopefully you have family/friends/neighbors who can take you to the emergency room. 

 

Do not assume an ambulance will be available like in the home country.   

Thank you for relating your experiences with large government hospitals, and their emergency rooms. I pretty much assumed that personal transport would be the best, if not the only, way to a hospital for us here in this small town.  As I just posted to "Sheryl," we will probably try to move closer to a city with better medical facilities. But that may be awhile.

 

Thanks, again, for your kind reply to my question.

 

DH

 

 

[WeLubThailand]

On 2/26/2018 at 9:09 PM, simon43 said:

Of course, my advice doesn't really help if you have a heart attack etc and need immediate assistance. Perhaps you could teach your wife how to do CPR?

Years ago, when I ran a small hotel in Phuket, I had a defibrilator. I bought it second hand off Ebay - it was relatively cheap, came with a new battery and had voice commands (in English) how to operate it in an emergency.

Thanks. Your advice comes across as very wise.

[NancyL]

In busy Chiang Mai, with traffic that is approaching Bangkok levels, often the best way to get to a hospital is via tuk-tuk, which is becoming a "lost art" of transportation among newer expats because of Uber.  It used to be that most newly arrived expats would soon develop a good relationship with a tuk-tuk driver whose "home base" was near their home, but sadly, that doesn't seem to be the case these days.

 

Tuk-tuks can weave in-and-out of traffic go up narrow sois, unlike cars and rescue vehicles.  I know that if we had a medical emergency that didn't require immediate need for special equipment, I'd call Sawang our "tuk-tuk guy" and either he'd come right away or call one of his buddies to come get us.  I think about how our relationship is growing more distant every time I use an Uber these days because I don't want to ride in an open tuk-tuk on a hot day and arrive someplace looking like a hot mess, but I still keep him in the "transportation mix" because we may need him some time in case of emergency.

[SheungWan]

The simple and straightforward answer is to live close to a hospital.