Multi-tier prices at state hospitals now in effect in Phuket

[KKr]

10 minutes ago, Sumarianson said:

Including me! Dentistry and hair transplant. Thailand is too expensive now. 

good dental care over there, I agree.
Local quality care indeed more expensive it seems.

[BritManToo]

Once they've forced us all to take out health insurance, the prices won't matter.

[British Bulldog]

As I live in Laos, 'some' medical procedures performed on my aging body are best performed in Thailand such as a recent operation on the 'back' of my eyeball (I went from 95% couldn't see out of my left eye to 90% vision at the moment ... they say it will continue to improve over the next month or so), I always go to the Khon Kaen University, great staff and looked after by Professors. Their charges are more than reasonable, silly <deleted> me at 66 has no health insurance, but $4500 for 2 weeks in a VIP 2 room with all facilities including 3 external ops on my kidneys was great for me. And now $2000, for eye Op and same VIP room and service. No joking, I went to a Hospital in Udon once, I had to have injections into my eye ball, somehow, on the patient card they brought to me with the bill, (which near gave me a heart attack at 45,000 Baht for a 3 hour procedure and no overnight), they asked the name of my insurance company, I reiterated and said I am 100% private and I'm paying cash .... they went away and came back with a bill for 15,000 baht which was closer to what we were quoted the week before, so as long as you have the time ask, (before they treat you) I'm sure all these new charges are negotiable .... I hope so anyway !!!

[Sheryl]

This report puzzles me as to my knowledge Vachira has had double pricing for years now.

 

And I very much doubt they have lowered prices to reflect the MoPH approved levels.

[KKr]

10 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Once they've forced us all to take out health insurance, the prices won't matter.

it does matter, because the amount claimed is part of the insurance premium calculation.

[Skallywag]

43 minutes ago, sandyf said:

Everything is not as straightforward as you may think and spreading misinformation does not help anyone.

Agreed, am not a Thai national so do not know first hand all the coverages under their 30 baht fee at government hospitals.  So you would call that discrimination?

 

From other posts here it seems you need to "shop around" to different hospitals or where your doctor of choice is working as he may work at 2-3 different hospitals over the course of a week or 2. 

 

OP is about Phuket exclusively, so maybe best not to go to a government hospital there until you know the pricing.  Also in the OP, “This law focuses on foreigners who do not have any health and accident insurance. ... the prices are now regulated by the government, so foreigners do not need to worry about being overcharged,”

 

Edited October 17, 2019 by Skallywag

[Tayaout]

14 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Once they've forced us all to take out health insurance, the prices won't matter.

Unfortunately the thai insurance is crappy. 400K minimum insurance won't cover any serious emergency. 

[Vacuum]

1 hour ago, Bartman1369 said:

Agree with the majority of your post until you spoke about quotas. A friend of my wife recently took a job at a bar and must bar fine at least 5 times per month or she loses her job. I also heard recently of several bars that the girls must receive at least 30+ drinks per month to retain their jobs.

And the bar owner is a farang in most cases.

[tweedledee2]

11 hours ago, Skallywag said:

You realize Thais only pay 30 baht for government hospital visit.

Are you sure?   I took my wife to Surin Government after a piece of wire thrown while I was cutting grass was impaled into her neck near the c-spine. She was attended by an ER doctor who consulted with a surgeon. She was admitted to the surgery floor, received a tetanus shot and pre-op meds. After surgery, she was kept overnight for observation, received IV antibiotics and pain management. Upon her discharge the next day, she received 7 days of oral antibiotic. Two weeks of aftercare on MWF to assess, clean and redress the wound site was provided at the surgeons rural clinic near our home. There was no 30 baht fee requested by the hospital or any aftercare charges from the surgeons clinic.

[CanterbrigianBangkoker]

Typical really, the government hospitals smell extra profit and so decide to jump on the bandwagon of private healthcare providers. Discrimination at it's most obvious, not an unusual thing in this racist nation, however. Just another example of why profiteering and medicine go together like oil and water.

[bikerbri]

Went to a government hospital in Bangkok yesterday just to see what all the fuss is about. Price to see a doctor 1,500 Baht. Could only put the service down to organized chaos. Could not even choose the appointment time. Pharmacy charges little better than day light robbery. Decided to cut short my visit and went across the road to the local GPO and got my prescription at the same price Thais pay and decided to stick with the private sector as far as doctors are concerned.

 

[Vacuum]

20 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Once they've forced us all to take out health insurance, the prices won't matter.

With the double or triple prices (probably more if you're insured) one should be happy if the 400K would cover a minor accident.

[Skallywag]

30 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Once they've forced us all to take out health insurance, the prices won't matter.

Actually, your health insurance will not cover pre-existing conditions, so you will likely have to look for the best priced treatment amongst different hospitals  

[BritManToo]

13 minutes ago, bikerbri said:

Went to a government hospital in Bangkok yesterday just to see what all the fuss is about. Price to see a doctor 1,500 Baht. Could only put the service down to organized chaos. Could not even choose the appointment time. Pharmacy charges little better than day light robbery. Decided to cut short my visit and went across the road to the local GPO and got my prescription at the same price Thais pay and decided to stick with the private sector as far as doctors are concerned.

 

In San Sai I've been paying 80bht for new or emergency consultations, plus 50bht foreigner charge.

My ongoing check-ups every 3 months charge me the 50bht foreigner fee and medications @ 1bht/pill.

Edited October 17, 2019 by BritManToo

[Almer]

A good example is KK Zoo, 2 advertised prices 1 for Thai  ID holder and 1 for others.

i have a family of now 8 and wont take them because they charge me the funder more, so we don't go, monetary loss  to the Zoo no loss to me, these ways to do business are 50 years out of date when will people/ managers realise, i live here i contribute to the economy, traders in village ask why do you shop out of the village and i tell them straight the first time i bought from you you charged me more now i go out of the village, your loss because you rob me once you get no more of my money

[Skallywag]

18 minutes ago, bikerbri said:

Went to a government hospital in Bangkok yesterday just to see what all the fuss is about. Price to see a doctor 1,500 Baht.

You would have to name that hospital for me to believe it.  Most I have ever paid at very large Private hospitals in Bangkok was 1000 baht: (Phyathai 2 and Siriraj Piyamaharajkarun hospital). 

[hotchilli]

20 hours ago, webfact said:

PHUKET: The multi-tier prices for government hospitals to charge foreigners higher fees are now in effect in Phuket, the Chief of the Phuket Provincial Health Office (PPHO) has confirmed.

Thailand wants to be the medical hub of Asia... come come & get fleeced is the marketing strategy !

[stevenl]

1 hour ago, Moo 2 said:

The problem is Thai government and Thai citizen think farangs are not human but walking ATM.

Nothing to do with farang, this applies to all foreigners. And the number of non-farang foreigners is growing and growing, so it would seem more likely this has to do with other than farang foreigners.

[Scott Tracy]

Perhaps now the EU has restarted so called Free Trade Agreement talks, Thais will be charged in the EU as Foreigners are charged in Thailand. I will be writing to my MP in the UK to inform him.of the new pricing structure. Perhaps Thais living in the UK can make up any shortfall in the NHS when they fall ill.

[Sydebolle]

Does the present government and those responsible for tourism have the slightest clue or idea,  what kind of message this sends out? 
 

The mind boggles - and the country remains empty ........ 

[Scott Tracy]

What about section 27 of the 2017 Constitution?

[the guest]

It shows you how racist and backward Thailand really is. When the world mentions Thailand, it will be judged by its actions. Currently Thailand is not classed as an important country, nor will it be when policy like this prevails. Shame on you !

[the guest]

27 minutes ago, Scott Tracy said:

Perhaps now the EU has restarted so called Free Trade Agreement talks, Thais will be charged in the EU as Foreigners are charged in Thailand. I will be writing to my MP in the UK to inform him.of the new pricing structure. Perhaps Thais living in the UK can make up any shortfall in the NHS when they fall ill.

I believe that Thailand is not ready for a FTA, nor should EU engage with them whilst racist policy exists against foreigners. They must stop behaving like children, and become adults. Sadly, they are light years away from this.

[Beggar]

13 hours ago, Skallywag said:

 

You realize Thais only pay 30 baht for government hospital visit.

Are you saying foreigners should only pay 30 baht and if charged more it is discrimination?

Nobody expects to pay 30 Baht. But we paid more already anyway even if still less than at private hospitals. 

 

In 2017 I was charged 500 Baht for a doctor at the Pattaya City Hospital. It was only about blood pressure and I had to pay this amount before I could see the doctor. I went there one more time to check blood values like sugar and cholesterol. For this I paid in 2017 500 for the doctor and 840 for the laboratory. 

[The Preacher]

It just seems as if all the agencies have finally figured out that it is so difficult for people who have established their futures here to move, that they can use that fact to blatantly extort more and more money.  The banks are doing it with mandatory deposits for longer and loner periods.  The Insurance industry is doing it with mandatory insurance for expats.  Immigration has been doing it with fines for late 90 day an TM30 filings from time immemorial.  Now the hospitals are doing it.    Somebody should tell them the story about the killing the goose that laid the golden eggs.  One by one, if this keeps up, most of us will crack and be forced out.

 

Does the left hand know what the right hand is doing.  Are the folks selling the mandatory insurance happy about paying the Thai government four times more for insureds with white skin?

[Bangkok Barry]

17 hours ago, Denim said:

About the only reason I can imagine for a westerner to want Thai citizenship is to turn up at a hospital with double pricing, flash my ID card and watch the subsequent coin slowly making it's way through their brains until it dropped that they could not milk me. 

 

At least ..............in theory.

 

An Aussie I know who actually grew up in Thailand applied for citizenship, and the first thing thing they asked was that he donated 1 million baht to a charity headed by HRH. So it might be cheaper to just pay the racist hospital bill.

[Bangkok Barry]

How do they justify charging foreigners more for exactly the same service that Thais receive. They can't of course, and wouldn't even understand us asking the question. There is no practical reason for it, just pure greed.

Edited October 17, 2019 by Bangkok Barry

[Jiggo]

Why on earth not, they overcharge us for everything else including national parks, tourist sites even the mark up on European foods 4 or 5 fold, just the trend here. 

[Mitkof Island]

18 hours ago, onera1961 said:

As long as they keep brothels (aka bars) alive and pimp their poor young girls to 30-years older sex perverts for marriage. I cant think of any other country in the World where farangs have married more brothel girls than in Thailand. Can you name one please?

No you have a very good point there. My hunch about 90% or more.

[Jiggo]

39 minutes ago, Beggar said:

Nobody expects to pay 30 Baht. But we paid more already anyway even if still less than at private hospitals. 

 

In 2017 I was charged 500 Baht for a doctor at the Pattaya City Hospital. It was only about blood pressure and I had to pay this amount before I could see the doctor. I went there one more time to check blood values like sugar and cholesterol. For this I paid in 2017 500 for the doctor and 840 for the laboratory. 

Some clinics do blood pressure for free, also blood checks for a cost, why go to an Hospital? Shop around....