"Lady boy doctor" tells tourist: Come back when you're dying! Google the meaning of ER"

[BradinAsia]

5 hours ago, geriatrickid said:

An ER is not intended to treat non critical care cases.

 

Where did you get that bit of info?

 

All my years living in Chiang Mai, I can name at least three well-known hospitals where the ERs often attended to

our young son when it was not technically an emergency.

 

The simple fact is, in Thailand, ERs at night often have no emergency patients. On numerous occasions they were

more than happy to attend to our infant when he had a scratch or a slight fever or anythings else. And they were

always very polite and very professional -- and no one ever hinted that we were not welcome there.

 

Of course, we went to the ER because it was after hours for regular doctor visits. But it's certainly not cheaper.

 

I can't speak for the U.K, I've never been there. And I don't know how it works in the U.S. now bcoz I've been gone

26 yrs, but I can confirm that in Japan, Philippines and Thailand ERs are NOT strictly for emergencies.

 

 

 

 

 

[robblok]

27 minutes ago, BradinAsia said:

 

That is not what an ER is for.

 

Maybe that's how it works in your home country, but not in Thailand. 

Strange that a Thai Dr seems to think this is the way it works. 

[BradinAsia]

4 hours ago, flyingdoc said:

Wrong department certainly

 

After hours it is the only department available. Where else would you see a doctor after hours?

[Docno]

Have had messed up ears for the last 48 hours after flying with a cold (stuffiness). Would never think of going to ER for this. Maybe a clinic tomorrow if no improvement. Ridiculous.... The equivalent of people calling 911 when Burger King runs out of ketchup. 

[BradinAsia]

3 hours ago, jackdd said:

My GF worked in ER before and for Thais it seems to be quite normal to head to the ER for minor things.

 

BINGO!

 

Question: And why do you suppose Thais consider it quite normal to head to the ER for minor things.

 

Answer: Because that's how it works in Thailand. This is not your home country (thank God).

 

[BradinAsia]

3 hours ago, janclaes47 said:

Anyone at the reception could have read the note, and there was no need to jump the queue.

 

Obviusly, another case of a clueless farang not knowing proper behavior.

[BradinAsia]

3 hours ago, Jingthing said:

Bigotry is an evil in society and silent people help it grow. 

 

Jingthing, very well said. It's good to see that some folks are not afraid to stand up and say what really needs to be said.

[mixlis]

7 hours ago, smedly said:

I sort of agree but perhaps the doctor could have handled better 

 

 

Probably tired of people seeking help, who actually don’t require an ER.. 

[IamNoone88]

Judging by the way girlfriend could do all the talking, I can guess where the ear ache came from ..... 

[WhyamIhere]

I agree with the doctor..."an ear problem" is seldom an emergency. It also makes no difference if the doctor is male, female, or a 'combination' thereof. I'm a farang and have on occasion visited government hospitals in Thailand for things such as blood tests, and I am quite happy to pay many times the fee that a Thai person would pay. If you have ever gone to a gov hospital here and see all of the poor Thai people who desperately need immediate care, you would understand that a farang expecting to be seen in ER for an ear problem is abusing the system. I might add that I have always been treated with respect and kindness and appreciate even being allowed to use these facilities. There also appears to be a conflict in this article; the doctor said "Come back when you're dying", and the farang said, Come back "after you die"...I don't believe the doctor would say something that stupid. Someone posted that the "stupid doctor needs to learn English". I don't think that the doctor has an obligation to learn English...perhaps the farang needs to learn a little Thai.

Edited April 23, 2018 by WhyamIhere

[wvavin]

I could say there was a very high chance the doctor at the ER was very stressful and tense over his work at that juncture.

[digger70]

Maybe the the whatever Doc was in a Chicken (Foul ) Mood

[BradinAsia]

3 hours ago, Formaleins said:

What isn't mentioned and I may only presume (giving the patient the benefit of the doubt) that it possibly happened at night when there are no other doctors or clinics open.

 

Very reasonable presumption that most others seem to have missed... just saying'

[Shaunduhpostman]

This is trivial stuff reported in this story. There are very real and horrifically wrong things that take place between doctors and patients in this country, all too often. With no standards in education, with corruption, many doctors you meet have no idea what they are doing, and quickly become delusional and insane after a few years of everyone kowtowing to them. I have never met so many clearly mentally ill people with an office and a respected station.

 

The message seems to be that the only problem is that some rude Arabs and other kinds of foreign riff raff think they can just jump the queue and they get a rude reception and that rude reception is what they deserve. Oh and the doctor was a lady boy so I suppose we are supposed to think that was the problem with the doctor.

 

In my experience being treated rudely is par for the course even if you yourself make an appointment and wait your turn and that is just the tip of the iceberg. Doctors are upper crust in the pecking order and there is no need for them to be polite or even civil to patients if they don't feel like it.

 

That said it would be unfair to single out Thailand, the elites in this world want to see the lot of us dead and gone so we can hardly expect to receive medical care. They can automate production and do quite nicely without us thank you, so health care will if isn't already unavailable to all.

Edited April 23, 2018 by Shaunduhpostman

[Sumarianson]

How about sending them to the outpatients department before making them wait an hour.
If you go to emergency in the UK there are any number of women there with children with a temprature. The doctor repeats himself over and over, " keep the child cool, take that duvet off them give them Calpol or another paracetamol mixture." The doctors in the UK will not give babies injections for a temprature like some countries. But they keep on coming back.
They were crass with this gentleman. It is not acceptable. The staff should have directed him better.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Top Chef]

Another case of pseudo-professionalism

[BradinAsia]

7 hours ago, geriatrickid said:

It doesn't have the resources to dispense free medical care to foreigners.

 

Have you ever known of a hospital that dispenses free medical care to anyone?

I've never encountered one in my whole life.

 

Why would anyone assume that ERs are free -- for farangs or anyone else?

 

Anyone who has been in Thailand longer than a year or two knows that ERs 

are not free -- nor cheap.

 

 

[Sydebolle]

Well, that could be sorted easily, unless it is a rare case of "the doctor fled the scene" ......... 

[Slain]

Could Be an emergency, but only if it's a very young child or baby,.

[soalbundy]

10 hours ago, tingtongtourist said:

sounds fair to me

the doc probably seen enough carnage from road accidents  

who goes to ER with an ear ache?

pussy

Ever had a bad ear ache ? It can be far worse than a severe toothache and no way can you sleep, the ear being near the brain this could be a sign that something serious is going on.

[farcanell]

2 hours ago, poanoi said:

google the meaning of emergency

Lmao.... really?

 

goole “baratrauma”, which can often present as an ear problem, but if not treated, with, perhaps, a stay in a hyperbaric chamber... could lead to an unpleasant death.(lots of tourist boating activity here... not a stretch with standards as they are... lol... standards like this doctors)

 

or... Google “common sense”

 

if someone presents with an issue, to a doctor, the doctor has a duty to treat the patient.... or... As a very minimum, establish professionally that immediate care is not needed (can wait), before telling them to come back when they are dying

 

i know that opinions vary (sometimes widely), but anyone who accepts that this doctor acted appropriately, as a health care proffessional, is krazy.... and even at my most spiteful, I wouldn’t wish that quality of service inflicted on anyone... including my worst enemy (it’s unconscionable) 

 

anyway.... for giggles, and in case your unable to get behind the obviousness of professionalism and duty, as I have discussed... I googled emergency (unlike you, I assume... because....) ..... “a situation that poses an immediate risk to health, life, property or environment”

 

so.... in pain, worried that the pain might pose an immediate risk to health, meets the definition of an emergency (perhaps not yours, or the doctors... but then, I used google “emergency” as instructed)... ergo the correct thing to do, is go to an emergency room

 

but... for the third time... triage and prioritize... that’s the responsible way forward, vs instructing a patient in pain ( a non doctor patient seeking medical attention and advise) to come back when they are dying, which is indefensible

 

[soalbundy]

10 hours ago, YetAnother said:

that is precious

Just the doctors way of saying 'I'm having a bad day'

[atyclb]

3 hours ago, Neeranam said:

Firstly the girl probably never went to school. She wasn't a university graduate going to look for an Arab boyfriend. Good chance she was sold by her farming parents to the sex business.

The doctor is probably sick of the lower echelons of Thai society coming in with their drunken foreign clients. 

 

 

i'll have you know most "working girls" are graduates of "nana university"

[atyclb]

3 hours ago, Thaidream said:

The ER is supposed to treat any case that presents when it is after hours and other venues in the hospital are closed.  However, as was mentioned triage takes place in which the most urgent cases are seen first.  

 

The doctor was wrong and needs an attitude adjustment- He has no right to speak to anyone in the manner he chose and should be disciplined.  The patient may have had an ear infection and needed antibiotics. His nationality; sexual orientation; status of the person accompanying him and any other sundry issue has no bearing on the case.

 

perhaps the thai female mouthed off in a self entitled nasty way in which case i am glad the doctor basically told her to fxxk off. no attitude adjustment required.  docs in the usa hold it inside when A hole patients are abusive because they dont want to waste time at an administrative meeting or responding to paperwork.

[mommysboy]

9 hours ago, geriatrickid said:

Really? ER  personnel from around the world would probably applaud or smile or  say "right on". The hospital is a public hospital and its clientele are typically the poor and disadvantaged.  There was probably one overworked physician on staff and in walks the non emergency farang cheap charlie. If he wanted urgent care he should have gone to a proper hospital where there were multiple physicians available.

 

Ahh, but here's the issue; the doctor should not have been presented with this case. In properly managed ERs there is a triage process, where the  patients are screened, usually by a nurse. True emergency cases get priority. Other cases, wait. This is a short staffed underfunded facility. It doesn't have the resources to dispense free medical care to foreigners.

 

An ER is not intended to treat non critical care cases.

 

A bit presumptive.  Maybe he was spent out.

 

I too am puzzled as to how he even ended up in ER.

 

I had to google ER and must admit I was likely mistaken about its role.  In UK it used to be called Casualty.  I thought it was for people in acute pain or clearly unwell or injured.  I had to be there few months ago, and it was not a pretty sight but I didn't see any critical cases.  It was mostly bike injuries, the elderly or infirm, and a few people like me hanging around to be diagnosed with appendicitis.  Some injuries because of the distress they cause probably merit ER until a more serious ailment can be eliminated.  And some conditions which may be relatively trivial can be excruciating- trapped gas for instance can have people doubled up and screaming.

 

Thinking about it, the place I was in had a large treatment room with rows of gurneys, a true emergency room, and I think an observation room.  Yes, the staff were clearly overworked.

 

So I can't agree with GKC's statement that it is only for 'critical cases'.  I mean if you have a kidney stone for instance, what are you supposed to do: hang about outside until you collapse?

 

 

 

Edited April 23, 2018 by mommysboy

[atyclb]

28 minutes ago, farcanell said:

Lmao.... really?

 

goole “baratrauma”, which can often present as an ear problem, but if not treated, with, perhaps, a stay in a hyperbaric chamber... could lead to an unpleasant death.(lots of tourist boating activity here... not a stretch with standards as they are... lol... standards like this doctors)

 

treating scuba diving related decompression sickness requires a hyperbaric chamber and the symptoms and history are clearly different. anyone going to a hospital with history suggestive of that would get immediate referral to chamber.

 

ear (midddle ear) barotrauma is a complication of hyperbaric oxygen chamber not vice a versa.  you would not need to spend more time in the chamber to fix the problem it caused.

 

 

time to listen to tranquil music and relax.  had enough intellectual rape on tv forum

[mommysboy]

10 hours ago, robblok said:

The DR was right.. ear problem make an appointment go to a clinic.. not an ER. That is not what an ER is for.

Too dogmatic.  But probably right in this instance.  He doesn't appear to be in much distress.

 

The thing is even relatively small ailments can cause excruciating symptoms and that merits a trip to hospital.  After that, it's really about how he is assessed.  Why blame him?

 

Trapped intestinal gas, food poisoning, migraine, cluster headache, in growing toe-nail, piles- these are examples of things that can really cause serious pain.

 

 

[mommysboy]

50 minutes ago, soalbundy said:

Ever had a bad ear ache ? It can be far worse than a severe toothache and no way can you sleep, the ear being near the brain this could be a sign that something serious is going on.

Absolutely right.

[farcanell]

31 minutes ago, atyclb said:

 

perhaps the thai female mouthed off in a self entitled nasty way in which case i am glad the doctor basically told her to fxxk off. no attitude adjustment required.  docs in the usa hold it inside when A hole patients are abusive because they dont want to waste time at an administrative meeting or responding to paperwork.

So.... perhaps the female mouthed off... who cares... toatally irrelevant.

 

the man was their for treatment... this can’t justifyably be denied, per your argument entailing a non patient bumping their gums

 

its actually really really scary, to consider that the ignorance of the lesser educated, can upset an educated doctor,  to the extent that he might with hold medical services

 

US doctors may well ignore the blustering of the persons accompanying the patient.... but I would be surprised... or rather, seriously disappointed, if that third party bluster, impacted on the treatment that a proffessional doctor might give.

 

but then, I’m australian.... perhaps we have a different (better... higher... more responsible... sustainable... fair and just standard that we hold our citizens too), with increased transparency and accountability.... things needed in a properly functioning society.

[mommysboy]

52 minutes ago, farcanell said:

So.... perhaps the female mouthed off... who cares... toatally irrelevant.

 

the man was their for treatment... this can’t justifyably be denied, per your argument entailing a non patient bumping their gums

 

its actually really really scary, to consider that the ignorance of the lesser educated, can upset an educated doctor,  to the extent that he might with hold medical services

 

US doctors may well ignore the blustering of the persons accompanying the patient.... but I would be surprised... or rather, seriously disappointed, if that third party bluster, impacted on the treatment that a proffessional doctor might give.

 

but then, I’m australian.... perhaps we have a different (better... higher... more responsible... sustainable... fair and just standard that we hold our citizens too), with increased transparency and accountability.... things needed in a properly functioning society.

In a Thai public hospital the doctors on duty have a sometimes impossible workload.  But imo he/she was rude to the wrong person- probably.