Private care - financials

[glegolo]

I have a situation that I would love to take care off. Thing is that my wife fell on her motorbike. Damaged her neck. And have now since a year back neckpain that is never let her alone.

 

She has been several times at the public hospital here in Chaiyaphum, she was also remitted to public hospital in Khorat (Maharat) and did the magnet xray/computer xray... No one would bother to do anything. They just telling her to go home, because the risk of operating her neck is to big risk for further complications....

 

I have seen these operations in Sweden, and all of them have been successful. So why not in Thailand on private hospitals. is it that they do not want to waste resurces on common people? (my guessing only)..

 

So my question to you guys is,,,, and I hope that I can get some input at least. Do anyone of you know if there is at all any possibilities to borrow money from a private hospital?? Let say doing this operation, and then they loan out the money to me (the falang or my wife), and we pay off on a monthly basis????

 

This is the only way that I can help my wife, do anyone of you guys knows anything about this, and how to deal with it....

 

I am happy for any input...

 

glegolo

Edited July 4, 2018 by glegolo

[Oxx]

I think you're putting the horse before the cart.  First get your wife to a suitable private hospital for investigation and find out (a) whether there is a surgeon capable/willing to perform the operation, and (b) how much such an operation is likely to cost.  Then you will know (a) whether you need to raise money, and if so (b) how much money you need.

 

Hospitals are not banks.  They aren't licensed to lend money.

 

Clearly you think that if you got a loan you have sufficient excess income to pay it off.  Start saving that excess income now to put towards the possible cost of an operation.  Then look at other potential sources of income, e.g. borrowing money from relatives, mortgaging/remortgaging your property, selling your car, &c..

[glegolo]

Thank you, wise words of course. But I did this thread just in order to get my planning as good as possible. Looking for, if there is any obvious solutions that I have missed, when thinking about this.i.e. loaning money from the hospital....

 

Well questions are free as we say in Sweden, and I am happy that you were willing to give me an answer.

 

have a good day Sir,

 

glegolo

[Sheryl]

1. No private hospital will loan you money for this. Nor will they treat if payment cannot be assurred.

 

2. Even under the very best conditions and with the very best surgeons, operating on the cervical spine always carries serious risks...even in Sweden. The fact that the specific people you know who had neck surgery there did well, does not mean everyone does. The doctors in the public hospital are not deceiving you on this point...though they may have been influenced by their own levels of expertise in spinal surgery which are not necessarily as high as is available at other government hospitals.

 

3. It is also the case that not all neck pain after an accident is amenable to surgical correction.

 

4. In some cases appropriate physical therapy can help a lot.

 

5. In some cases there are other measures that will control pain, such as nerve blocks/ablation, implanted spinal cord stimulators etc.

 

I have no way of knowing if #3, #4 and #5 apply to your wife's case.

 

What you need, to start with, is a second opinion from a specialist in spinal surgery  (not just an ordinary ortho doc) as to whether surgery would be liable to help her pain and, statistically, what the odds of success and risk of serious complications are. Note that with neck surgery, worst case scenario can be death or quadriplegia (total paralysis of arms and legs, for life) so this is not something to take lightly. Also need to know if PT or other pain control measures would be appropriate for her case.

I suggest for this that you take her to KKU Hospital (Srinagarind) for consultation as follows. Bring all scans with you, including the actual CD or film not just the report. Try to see Prof. Permsak Paholpak there through their after hours clinic. If he is unavailable other possibilities:

  Profs. 

Kittipong Seesumpun

,

Thananit  Sangkomkamhang

and

Thanate Poosiripinyo.

 

For the consultation it will not cost much, just plan to pay out of pocket at this stage.

Get their written recommendations in detail. Depending on what these are, it may then be possible to return to Maharat in Korat to receive the recommended care, or to get a referral from them to go to KKU for care under the government universal scheme. She can gert free care at KKU if she has a referral letter from Maharat. Possible she will need another referral letter from Chaiyaphum to Maharat first. At each step in the chain of care need referral letters.

 

 

[glegolo]

Fantastic Sheryl....

 

I will follow your recommendations to the letter. And report back outcome.

 

Thank you so much again..

 

Best

glegolo

[Sheryl]

Please do. As you go through this process, be Patient but Politely Persistant. Dealing successfully with the government health system and government hospitals (even on private pay basis) requires these "3 P's" in abundance.