New health centres aim to serve foreigners with world-standard services

[webfact]

New health centres aim to serve foreigners with world-standard services

By The Nation

 

Public Health Ministry executives pose at the first National AHNC (Centre of Asean Health Network Collaboration) Forum, which was held at Miracle Grand Convention in Bangkok on June 14. 

 

Foreigners can conveniently now access international-standard healthcare services from the newly established Foreign Customer Service Centres (FCSC) at 133 centres and general hospitals nationwide.

 

The Public Health Ministry earlier this year established the FCSCs at various hospitals, including Samut Sakhon Hospital, Ubon Ratchathani’s Sunpasittiprasong Hospital and Ayutthaya Hospital. It also set up the Centre of Asean Health Network Collaboration (AHNC) at provincial health offices, in order to promote tourism and support the free migration of foreigners into Thailand, said deputy permanent secretary for public health, Dr Pisit Sriprasert.

 

The ministry held its first National AHNC Forum in Bangkok on June 14, where 800 related officials and hospital staff exchanged ideas and experiences. Pisit said the centres were expected to continue developing facilities, equipment and personnel to take care of foreign patients.

 

They would also build a database of foreign patients, analyse reports, apply innovations to promote the access of foreigners to services and assess their work results to constantly improve service.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30371232

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-06-17

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[GeorgeCross]

do they come with 'english menu'?

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

16 minutes ago, webfact said:

Foreigners can conveniently now access international-standard healthcare services from the newly established Foreign Customer Service Centres (FCSC) at 133 centres and general hospitals nationwide.

 

Are they first going to teach the Thai staff at these supposed centers to speak English or Chinese or (pick your Arab language of choice) in order to deal with their foreign patients???

 

In my experience, the English speaking ability of front-line clerical staff at government health facilities in Bangkok is usually pretty nill.  And I have no reason to believe it's any better elsewhere/upcountry.

 

Also, personally, I'd wonder, for example, how many such centers are actually up and running at any government health centers or hospitals in Bangkok?

 

Usually when they announce things like this, they talk about the topic as if it already exists, when in reality, it's usually just someone's plan that is barely implemented and often never is in reality.

 

Edited June 17, 2019 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[monkeycu]

My question is how much extra padding will the bill have added

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

BTW, the other question that obviously arises is...

 

Why would the MOPH be going out of its way and presumably spending budget to attract more foreign patients/customers to the government health care system here....

 

When, they don't have enough doctors, nurses and facilities to well care for all the Thai patients that are their core mission, and all they've done for years lately is to complain about the supposed hundreds of millions of unpaid medical bills that foreign tourists have left to govt. hospitals?

 

So much so, that the MOPH has felt compelled to insist that an insurance tax start to be leveled on all incoming foreign tourists starting sometime in the near future.....supposedly to help offset (more than offset) their unpaid bills from foreign patients problem.

 

...Unless, perhaps, foreign patients in the overall big picture aren't the financial drain on the government health care system that the government likes to claim they are???

 

 

[bluesofa]

31 minutes ago, webfact said:

in order to promote tourism and support the free migration of foreigners into Thailand, said deputy permanent secretary for public health, Dr Pisit Sripraser

I feel that's rather a poor choice of words there. I'm sure immigration will have something to say about it - like flatly deny it.

[kotsak]

8 minutes ago, bluesofa said:

42 minutes ago, webfact said:

in order to promote tourism and support the free migration of foreigners into Thailand, said deputy permanent secretary for public health, Dr Pisit Sripraser

I feel that's rather a poor choice of words there. I'm sure immigration will have something to say about it - like flatly deny it.

There goes the neighborhood, they'll turn the country into Europe ????

[smedly]

58 minutes ago, webfact said:

The ministry held its first National AHNC Forum in Bangkok on June 14, where 800 related officials and hospital staff exchanged ideas and experiences. Pisit said the centres were expected to continue developing facilities, equipment and personnel to take care of foreign patients.

and dual pricing

[NCC1701A]

are those witch doctors with the funny hats?

 

[kotsak]

20 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

are those witch doctors with the funny hats?

 

 

 

quacks.. ????

[kwan]

....

[Crossy]

1 hour ago, NCC1701A said:

are those witch doctors with the funny hats?

 

Thai standard scrubs, if you cannot identify the perp you can't be a witness.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

1 hour ago, NCC1701A said:

are those witch doctors with the funny hats?

 

 

The OP article doesn't mention it specifically, but the photo has a big red and yellow ASEAN logo next to the Thai Public Health logo, so I'm guessing the "AHNC" reference about the conference in the article probably starts with "A" for ASEAN.

 

Thus, the colorful costumes are probably meant to show the nationality of one or more of the participating ASEAN countries....

 

[But personally, I like the "witch doctor" theory also.... ]

[Misterwhisper]

2 hours ago, GeorgeCross said:

do they come with 'english menu'?

No, but London prices.

[Puchaiyank]

Does this mean that foreigners have not been getting quality service?

[rott]

My first reaction was that is an unbelievable statement. But then no, not at all.

 

But what are they thinking themselves when they come out with guff like this? "Migration of foreigners", possibly this means getting them fit enough to migrate elsewhere. We could be in for a long forced march.

[lupin]

and where are these Foreign Customer Service Centres ?

[dcnx]

More outrageous pricing. No thanks.

[wotsdermatter]

17 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

In my experience, the English speaking ability of front-line clerical staff at government health facilities in Bangkok is usually pretty nill.

Having had service at several of these facilities over the 20+ years of my time in Thailand, never once have I experienced any problems using English with any of the staff you mention.  They have always been polite, respectful, and competent in their duties, including their use of the English language.  By the way, at least they spell NIL correctly.

'nuf sed.

[Raymonddiaz]

Just for double pricing....me think na...

[BritManToo]

17 hours ago, monkeycu said:

My question is how much extra padding will the bill have added

My local government hospital sticks 50bht extra on my bill because I'm a foreigner.

[DPKANKAN]

17 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

BTW, the other question that obviously arises is...

 

Why would the MOPH be going out of its way and presumably spending budget to attract more foreign patients/customers to the government health care system here....

 

When, they don't have enough doctors, nurses and facilities to well care for all the Thai patients that are their core mission, and all they've done for years lately is to complain about the supposed hundreds of millions of unpaid medical bills that foreign tourists have left to govt. hospitals?

 

So much so, that the MOPH has felt compelled to insist that an insurance tax start to be leveled on all incoming foreign tourists starting sometime in the near future.....supposedly to help offset (more than offset) their unpaid bills from foreign patients problem.

 

...Unless, perhaps, foreign patients in the overall big picture aren't the financial drain on the government health care system that the government likes to claim they are???

 

 

Mmm. Jessie J... Its all about the money money!! ????????????????

[Pedrogaz]

How odd!

Is this why they want us all to have insurance?

Will they be allowed to charge 2000 baht for a pill you can buy for 5 baht in the local pharmacy?

[LazySlipper]

1 hour ago, Raymonddiaz said:

Just for double pricing....me think na...

No one has addressed the real question yet. Is this going to be a way to get around the fact that the hospitals will eventually be required to advertise their prices?

 

If this applies to boxidas (falang in Issan).

[pmh2009]

Are they going to have 2 payment standards as they do normally for foreigners and locals????

[RichardColeman]

Wonder if your relatives have to wheel you to do your 90 day report in your wheelchair if in long term health care ? 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

7 hours ago, lupin said:

and where are these Foreign Customer Service Centres ?

 

Probably the same places as the electronic waste drop-off recycling centers around BKK that they announced, and then no one can ever get anyone in government to say where or if they really exist....

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

6 hours ago, wotsdermatter said:

Having had service at several of these facilities over the 20+ years of my time in Thailand, never once have I experienced any problems using English with any of the staff you mention.  They have always been polite, respectful, and competent in their duties, including their use of the English language.  By the way, at least they spell NIL correctly.

'nuf sed.

 

I haven't had that experience... I wasn't talking about doctors and nurses at government hospitals... As I said in my post that you're responding to...I said "front line clerical staff"  -- the ones who staff the stations and handle administrative stuff.

 

Went to Chula, didn't find EN speaking admin staff there. Went to Ramathibodi, didn't find EN speaking admin staff there.... at least in the regular outpatient sections of those hospitals.

 

Not saying there aren't any anywhere... Just saying on my past visits to those two government hospitals in BKK, all the admin staff we encountered only spoke Thai and did not speak any EN at all....

 

 

Edited June 18, 2019 by TallGuyJohninBKK

[Trollmann]

6 hours ago, BritManToo said:

My local government hospital sticks 50bht extra on my bill because I'm a foreigner.

50 Bath that is the price for outpatient fee that thai People without any privileges at that hospital have to pay as a cash paying customer.

You are also a  cash paying customer, but some (most?) hospitals when the patient is a foreigner they replaces the outpatient fee (code 55020) with some kind of doctor fee (without any refering code) and charge 250 or 300 baht

[BritManToo]

10 minutes ago, Trollmann said:

50 Bath that is the price for outpatient fee that thai People without any privileges at that hospital have to pay as a cash paying customer.

You are also a  cash paying customer, but some (most?) hospitals when the patient is a foreigner they replaces the outpatient fee (code 55020) with some kind of doctor fee (without any refering code) and charge 250 or 300 baht

Nope, I get code 55020 on my bill, 50bht.

Nursing fees are listed separately at 90bht, but not on my bill for ongoing appointments (which I don't fully understand).

My charges are often just 55020 + medication.

Edited June 18, 2019 by BritManToo