Giving Birth in Thailand

[Na Fan]

I have a few questions that I was hoping I could get some personal experiences or feedback resulting from them for.

 

- Does the Thai Social Security pay for the birth if it takes place in the hospital registered with the SSO?

 

- Can private insurance still be gotten (and will pay for the birth in a better hospital) if the pregnancy is underway? I have seen some horror stories about the local govt hospital; mothers having to wait for hours to give birth causing the child to die, things like that. I don't know how much of that is true, but I'd rather avoid it if I can help it. Paying 6 figures ourselves is not an option.

 

- Has anyone done or knows of a birth done at home with a midwife? 

 

Na Fan

 

 

 

[sanemax]

You can get a birth done for 35 000 ish Baht in very good private hospitals

[Na Fan]

That sounds affordable - thanks for the input. It assumes no complications, of course.

[sanemax]

2 minutes ago, Na Fan said:

That sounds affordable - thanks for the input. It assumes no complications, of course.

Thing is, IF there are any complications, the gov hospital may not be able to handle them and a private hospital will be more likely to foresee any possible complications

[Na Fan]

Good point.

[sanemax]

7 minutes ago, sanemax said:

You can get a birth done for 35 000 ish Baht in very good private hospitals

And thats with a three day stay in a large private room , TV , fridge , air con , spare bed and meals and nurses on call 24/7

[Na Fan]

And what hospital was that?

[sanemax]

5 minutes ago, Na Fan said:

And what hospital was that?

Sripat Chiang mai

http://www.medicine.cmu.ac.th/2013/academic-departments-2/sriphat-medical-center.html .

   We paid about 30 000 for the birth , and prior to that , monthly check-ups , with scans (photos and videos of the scans given out) and any drugs or vitamins  needed for 500-1000 Baht per visit .

 

[Na Fan]

Thank you sir.

[neeray]

For what it's worth !

 

The daughter of a very good lady friend in Thailand works accounting in a Government hospital. She was pregnant 2 years ago and I was told delivery would be by C section. I asked why and was told C is very common in Thailand. Again, I ask why? I was told so that the baby arrives on the doctor's schedule.

All went well, the baby had substantial problems with lungs but stayed at the hospital for a month and the care was quite good. No complaints by the family.

[Na Fan]

That is ridiculous and totally unacceptable to me. Cutting someone open just to suit someone's "schedule". Unbelievable.

[Sheryl]

16 hours ago, sanemax said:

Thing is, IF there are any complications, the gov hospital may not be able to handle them and a private hospital will be more likely to foresee any possible complications

I would actually say the opposite though it depends on size of the hospital. Small private hospitals (including the majority of upcountry private hospitals) will not be able to handle major complications especially with the newborn and will need to refer to a tertiary level government hospital. Since this entails loss of incoem for them it is not unknown for them to resist doing so. The most egregious malpractice cases in Thailand tend to occur in small private hospitals.

 

Lower level government hospitals will refer complications to higher level government hospitals but it is better to deliver in a higher level government hospital to begin with. These, while lacking in creature comforts, are generally safer/better than private hospitals.

 

Note that unnecessary c-section is usual at private hospitals in Thailand.

 

To revert to your original questions:

 

1. yes, SS will pay in full, at the hospital where you are registered. You do have a choice of hospital and if you think the one you are registered at is not very good you should change registration (may or may not be able to do so in time for delivery as changes can be made only at certain times of the year). If I knew what hospital you are registered at and where you live I might be able to advise better.

 

2.  No insurance policy will cover pregnancy if you are pregnant at the time of getting the policy, in fact 10 month waiting period is usual. In addition, it usually costs extra to have maternity cover included at all.

 

3. If you are worried about safety the last thing you should be considering is a home delivery. Which is not at all common in Thailand. Thai nurses (midwives - there are no trained Thai midwives who are not nurses, it is one and the same)  do not do them, neither do Thai doctors and there are no mechanisms in place for referral to hospital etc if things go wrong. midwives

 

While private hospitals offer fairly affordable delivery package rates, DO NOT deliver in one unless you can afford 1-3 million baht in costs for complications. If you deliver at a private hospital and anything goes wrong it can be very, very difficult to get transferred to a government hospital. There have been cases where TV members delivered in a private hospital because they could afford the delivery cost, only to have the baby end up in ICU and been stuck with bills in the millions of baht. Also note that you may  be pressured into a c-section whether necessary or not so the rate for vaginal delivery may not apply.

 

There is an alternative to delivering in your SS hospital and delivering in a private hospital, and that is delivering in a higher level government hospital paying out of pocket. Again, if I knew where you lived and what hospital you are registered at, I could advise better. The top level government hospitals in Thailand have the best neonatal and other facilities in the country, bar none - but are located in major cities which may or may nto work for you; it rather sounds lie you may be living in the provinces.

 

Be careful about belieiving "horror stories",  what you describe (mothers waiting hours to deliver causing the death of the baby) does not quite make sense. But again, I really need to know which government hospital this is as there is considerable variation in level and quality.

 

 

 

[Na Fan]

Thank you for the elaborate answer Sheryl - it is very much appreciated!

 

She is currently registered in the Pattaya City Hospital. So far, our experiences there haven't been great. Many of the staff tend to prioritize doing nothing over attending to a patient. Just getting a check-up is impossible - there are only "weekly slots" where all the up and coming moms are cramped together and processed in bulk. Outside of those slots you are simply sent back home.

 

She's expected to deliver in December.

 

Regarding SSO; we've had confusion after being told that we had to pay cash first and then submit a claim to the SSO to retrieve our funds. That has not been my experience previously in Bangsaen at the University Hospital in Burapha. You'd show your SSO card and you'd get treated without any hassle. No one's ever asked for 1 Baht. If that happens for the birth as well, we may have problems.

 

Fan

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Na Fan]

Okay so apparently the social security office told my gf that they cover only 10'000 Baht for the birth. And no more than that.

[sanemax]

2 minutes ago, Na Fan said:

Okay so apparently the social security office told my gf that they cover only 10'000 Baht for the birth. And no more than that.

That should cover the whole birth in a Gov hospital , last I heard, it was about 6000 Baht

[Na Fan]

Oh, it's that cheap. I see.