Thai Government Hospital Records

[davhend25]

Hello all,

 

I've applied for a U.S. CR-1 Visa for my Thai wife. One of the requirements for this visa is a medical exam prior to the final interview at the U.S. Embassy.

 

One of the things they want are records of past surgical treatments. She had major surgery at Phrapokklao hospital in Chanthaburi province about 10 years ago, and claims she has no record of it and can't get any records of it.  Is she correct?  Can you have major surgery at a large Provincial hospital in Thailand and not be able to obtain a record of it?

 

If she is incorrect about this and records are obtainable, how can we go about obtaining a record of her past surgery and hospital stay.

 

Also, any tips on getting her vaccination records from childhood?

 

Any thoughts or advice would be appreciated.

 

Thanks,

 

DH

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Sheryl]

She can get the hospital record but it may take some doing and some time, especially if (as is possible) records were not computerized then.

 

Earlier this year I had occasion to go seeking information from a Cambodian friend's hospital records of some 10-15 years ago at a major Bangkok hospital. I started off in the normal medical records department but soon learned that it only existed in hard copy in an archival office. Which after much difficulty I located along with the person in charge. There was a process to go through to request the document (including getting a doctor on staff to sign off on it) and it required I think several weeks.

 

Staff hate having to go through the stacks of old records to dig things out  and as you have no doubt learned "cannot" is the standard reply here when someone can, but does not want to. She needs to be very firm.

 

Another option and possibly easier would be to talk to one of the doctors there and explain what she needs and ask for a medical certificate/statement to be issued stating the nature of the surgery, why performed and that she made a full recovery (assuming she knows the first 2 things).

 

Re vaccination, if as I gather her family did not keep her childhood vaccination booklet then the best option is to also get this in a letter from the local hospital...presumably she got the vaccines that were part of the standard government program when she was a child. If you indicate her age I can tell you what these were.. Depending on her current age may have only been BCG, polio & DPT (diptheria, pertussis and tetanus) and measles, or might also include Japaneses B encephalitis (not that the US cares about that!) and Hepatitis B,

[davhend25]

26 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

She can get the hospital record but it may take some doing and some time, especially if (as is possible) records were not computerized then.

 

Earlier this year I had occasion to go seeking information from a Cambodian friend's hospital records of some 10-15 years ago at a major Bangkok hospital. I started off in the normal medical records department but soon learned that it only existed in hard copy in an archival office. Which after much difficulty I located along with the person in charge. There was a process to go through to request the document (including getting a doctor on staff to sign off on it) and it required I think several weeks.

 

Staff hate having to go through the stacks of old records to dig things out  and as you have no doubt learned "cannot" is the standard reply here when someone can, but does not want to. She needs to be very firm.

 

Another option and possibly easier would be to talk to one of the doctors there and explain what she needs and ask for a medical certificate/statement to be issued stating the nature of the surgery, why performed and that she made a full recovery (assuming she knows the first 2 things).

 

Re vaccination, if as I gather her family did not keep her childhood vaccination booklet then the best option is to also get this in a letter from the local hospital...presumably she got the vaccines that were part of the standard government program when she was a child. If you indicate her age I can tell you what these were.. Depending on her current age may have only been BCG, polio & DPT (diptheria, pertussis and tetanus) and measles, or might also include Japaneses B encephalitis (not that the US cares about that!) and Hepatitis B,

Thank you so much, Sheryl for your always helpful replies.

 

She was born in early 1971 in Chonburi/Pattaya.  But as a young child grew up and attended school in a rural area of Chanthaburi Province. She doesn't remember anything about vaccinations as a child. She does have that funny looking mark on one of her upper arms that looks like a smallpox vaccination, but that's about it.

 

Prior to the actual surgery, her case was worked up at Bangkok Hospital Chanthaburi, (Nov. 2009) and she was given an entire binder of information relating to that work-up and diagnosis. Because of extra costs involved with a private facility vs. a governmental one, her attending physician suggested she have the operation at Phrapkklao, the provincial hospital in Chanthaburi City.

 

The surgery was obviously, successful with no recurrence of the initial problem, but she came away with no records that she can remember.

 

Any ideas about vaccinations would helpful.

 

Thanks,

 

DH

 

 

 

 

 

[Sheryl]

Have you tried getting the records from Bangkok Hospital? Those are likely computerized. Even though the surgery itself was not fone there, the records sound like they specify thr diagnodis and the procedure which should be enough for the govt hospital to come up with a letter for her (if so inclined).

The scar you refer to is BCG. That she has proves she did get vaccinated as a baby. She will have received B G once and then 3 doses each of oral polio vaccine and DPT and then maybe a booster after that but can't be sure especially in a rural area. Not sure if she will have gotten Measles, it started here around 1982 so she might have just missed it. No harm in getting it now even uf she had it as a child (get MMR...measles, mumps and rubella).

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[davhend25]

1 hour ago, Sheryl said:

Have you tried getting the records from Bangkok Hospital? Those are likely computerized. Even though the surgery itself was not fone there, the records sound like they specify thr diagnodis and the procedure which should be enough for the govt hospital to come up with a letter for her (if so inclined).

The scar you refer to is BCG. That she has proves she did get vaccinated as a baby. She will have received B G once and then 3 doses each of oral polio vaccine and DPT and then maybe a booster after that but can't be sure especially in a rural area. Not sure if she will have gotten Measles, it started here around 1982 so she might have just missed it. No harm in getting it now even uf she had it as a child (get MMR...measles, mumps and rubella).

Sent from my SM-J701F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Thank you so much, again Sheryl, for this valuable and very helpful information. Your suggestion to contact Bangkok Hospital is a smart one that we will follow through with. 

 

The vaccination information may prove helpful as well.  The more we can tell her examining doctors, the better for her.

 

Best,

 

DH