Public hospitals get training to recover payments from foreigners

[webfact]

Public hospitals get training to recover payments from foreigners

By THE NATION

 

 

THE PUBLIC Health Ministry’s Department of Health Service Support has provided training to public hospitals in tourist provinces to help them collect fees from foreigners, director-general Dr Nattawuth Prasertsiripong said yesterday.

 

The move is aimed at reducing hospital debts, he said. 

 

The department’s Medical Hub Division head, Saowapa Jongkit-tipong, said training had been organised in Trat province for 200 public hospital staff. The region’s Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) policy had attracted more long-staying foreigners to the area. 

 

Dr Nattawuth Prasertsiripong

 

Earlier, sessions were conducted in Chiang Mai, Phuket, Surat Thani and Ubon Ratchathani, she added.

 

The Medical Hub Division had recently reported that there were 40 million foreign visitors to Thailand per year and many sought treatment for ailments or injuries at public hospitals and many failed to fully pay the bills, resulting in multi-million baht in debt. 

 

The department since March 1 has established central claim centres in Nonthaburi and at Suvarnabhumi airport as well as pilot regional centres in Chiang Mai, Chon Buri, Phuket, Phang Nga and Surat Thani to follow up with foreigners whose payments were overdue. The department also discussed three health insurance claims system. 

 

The short-term phase was to make health insurance for specific ailments with a low premium rate and to impose a requirement for a foreigner to have an insurance policy before entering Thailand. 

 

The middle-term scheme involved boosting public hospitals’ potential to support foreign patients. The long-term solution was for all tour companies to be required to arrange insurance policies for their foreign customers.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30366671

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-03-28

[YetAnother]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

and to impose a requirement for a foreigner to have an insurance policy before entering Thailand.

the beat goes on for us expats, more thai 'us versus them'

[KarlS]

12 minutes ago, YetAnother said:

the beat goes on for us expats, more thai 'us versus them'

Are you trying to say that in your opinion it is OK for expats to not pay their medical bills? 

[champers]

20 minutes ago, YetAnother said:

the beat goes on for us expats, more thai 'us versus them'

It seems from the OP that getting tourists to pay is the main concern and most tourists are not falang.

[jonclark]

" The short-term phase was to make health insurance for specific ailments with a low premium rate and to impose a requirement for a foreigner to have an insurance policy before entering Thailand."

 

So the next question is a) what are those specific ailments that attract a low premium rate? b) how will this requirement be enforced when entering Thailand? Are they going to deny plane loads of probably Chinese tourist entry as they are the largest and most frequent visitors to Thailand if they have no insurance. 

 

 

Edited March 28, 2019 by jonclark

[sammieuk1]

A fair percentage of the injuries to tourists are directly attributed to Thais lack of driving skills and overall lack of anything deemed safe anywhere else will they also be insured to recover the cost of injury's caused???? 

[KarlS]

17 minutes ago, jonclark said:

? Are they going to deny plane loads of probably Chinese tourist entry as they are the largest and most frequent visitors to Thailand if they have no insurance. 

 

 

1

 A relatively small increase in the price of a tourist visa would cover any healthcare costs.

[KarlS]

16 minutes ago, sammieuk1 said:

A fair percentage of the injuries to tourists are directly attributed to Thais lack of driving skills and overall lack of anything deemed safe anywhere else will they also be insured to recover the cost of injury's caused???? 

A fair percentage of injured tourists results from them riding motorbikes - no need for any Thai involvement. 

[BestB]

I wonder what the the cost of operating the Centers is and would be  and if the costs of running it is higher than actual losses from non payments

[ThaiBunny]

7 minutes ago, BestB said:

I wonder what the the cost of operating the Centers is and would be  and if the costs of running it is higher than actual losses from non payments

You think too much - not the Thai way ????

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

THE PUBLIC Health Ministry’s Department of Health Service Support has provided training to public hospitals in tourist provinces to help them collect fees from foreigners, director-general Dr Nattawuth Prasertsiripong said yesterday.

 

[malagateddy]

Excellent post[emoji5]

 A relatively small increase in the price of a tourist visa would cover any healthcare costs.

Sent from my SM-G7102 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Borzandy]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Public hospitals get training to recover payments from foreigners

Why not only be trained by private hospitals.

[fforest1]

1 hour ago, KarlS said:

Are you trying to say that in your opinion it is OK for expats to not pay their medical bills? 

Non payment is not possible in Thailand on any thing big...Its always money up front......

I never heard of even one expat not paying... 

Edited March 28, 2019 by fforest1

[Puchaiyank]

I've got a great idea...tie the hospital's farang delinquent payers to immigration...make them clear hospital bills before issuing new Visas or being allowed to leave the country...me and Big J will then extort money from most everyone on the pretext they owe the hospital and the hospital will have a blank check to over charge farangs even if they have never been to the hospital...My business will handle the complaint department and get a reduction on the bogus bill for you for a few thousand.

 

Win-win for everyone! 

[fruitman]

2 hours ago, KarlS said:

Are you trying to say that in your opinion it is OK for expats to not pay their medical bills? 

I heard that the hospitals like to use a double pricing system.....you think that's ok?

[TheFishman1]

TIT

[superal]

17 minutes ago, fruitman said:

I heard that the hospitals like to use a double pricing system.....you think that's ok?

That is what I experienced recently and was told by a pal whose wife works in the hospital that I paid the falang price and was billed while laying in bed with an oxygen mask on . Falang pricing training will be part of the course for sure .    It would be a good move to include insurance within the costs for visas as it is almost impossible to get for elderly retirees unless you are very well off and money is no object .

[Khaeng Mak]

7 minutes ago, superal said:

That is what I experienced recently and was told by a pal whose wife works in the hospital that I paid the falang price and was billed while laying in bed with an oxygen mask on . Falang pricing training will be part of the course for sure .    It would be a good move to include insurance within the costs for visas as it is almost impossible to get for elderly retirees unless you are very well off and money is no object .

If you are not well off, you are not wanted here.

[jackdd]

51 minutes ago, Puchaiyank said:

tie the hospital's farang delinquent payers

I think most of these unpaid bills are not caused by farangs

Farangs like to go to private hospitals where people can speak english

I assume many of these unpaid bills are illegal foreign workers, from Cambodia or Myanmar, who maybe had an accident because of unsafe working conditions. They don't have money to pay the bills, their Thai employer does of course not want to pay for it, so they went back home and left the bill unpaid.

Edited March 28, 2019 by jackdd

[Mister Fixit]

2 hours ago, KarlS said:

A fair percentage of injured tourists results from them riding motorbikes - no need for any Thai involvement. 

Apart from the fact that it will almost always be the poor driving skills of Thais that cause the accidents.  

[malagateddy]

Having attended a Chaiyaphum Province District Hospital a coupla times for minor things..I have nothing but praise for the Thai NHS.
My bills for the minor things were next to nothing I can assure you.
I shudder re thinking just how much I would have paid to the UK NHS for the same.
Please wakey wakey folks and appreciate your life here.

Sent from my SM-G7102 using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Darkside Gray]

3 hours ago, champers said:

It seems from the OP that getting tourists to pay is the main concern and most tourists are not falang.

Do you know what a Farang is?

[Mister Fixit]

2 hours ago, KarlS said:

 A relatively small increase in the price of a tourist visa would cover any healthcare costs.

How exactly?  Have you actually thought this through before posting?

[fruitman]

50 minutes ago, superal said:

That is what I experienced recently and was told by a pal whose wife works in the hospital that I paid the falang price and was billed while laying in bed with an oxygen mask on . Falang pricing training will be part of the course for sure .    It would be a good move to include insurance within the costs for visas as it is almost impossible to get for elderly retirees unless you are very well off and money is no object .

That's a very bad plan, why would i have to pay for insurance when i apply for a visa? I already have healthcare and worldwide travelinsurance!

[KarlS]

1 hour ago, fruitman said:

I heard that the hospitals like to use a double pricing system.....you think that's ok?

Whatever -- No one forces you to use "expensive" public hospitals. 

[NeoDinosaw]

1 hour ago, Puchaiyank said:

I've got a great idea...tie the hospital's farang delinquent payers to immigration...make them clear hospital bills before issuing new Visas or being allowed to leave the country...me and Big J will then extort money from most everyone on the pretext they owe the hospital and the hospital will have a blank check to over charge farangs even if they have never been to the hospital...My business will handle the complaint department and get a reduction on the bogus bill for you for a few thousand.

 

Win-win for everyone! 

This could be a serious business opportunity which could be run in partnership with police officers  ????

 

[Sheryl]

2 hours ago, Puchaiyank said:

I've got a great idea...tie the hospital's farang delinquent payers to immigration...make them clear hospital bills before issuing new Visas or being allowed to leave the country...

 

 

 

Given the mention of Suvarabhumi "claims center" I think that is already planned.

[Bangkok Barry]

3 hours ago, KarlS said:

 A relatively small increase in the price of a tourist visa would cover any healthcare costs.

 

Most visitors do not have to pay for a tourist visa.

[Rally123]

3 hours ago, KarlS said:

 A relatively small increase in the price of a tourist visa would cover any healthcare costs.

Why should the innocent be punished?