Thai Tourism: "Half of foreigners" don't pay their hospital bills; director points finger at three nationalities

[finnishmen]

why need pay,if guest go to country and has in accident ofcourse country pay him hospital all. no newer need pay idiot landian hospital bill because not can do all good too. i has manytime in hospital but thai has idiots and no can help my footh anythink, some say need cut off and some give lot medicine but no newer help anythink, idiot monkey no can do anythink good why need pay this service ower price lot. thai take ower price lot ewery foreigns scamm and thief falanf wallet. monkey no can do all good in hospital.

[sandmonster]

19 hours ago, FarangULong said:

Anyone with a half decent credit card already has travel insurance. I do with both of mine (even though the insurance on my main card is more than enough, as it includes everything incl. being flown home in a medical plane, if needed). Problem solved. And if someone doesn't even qualify for a credit card, maybe they shouldn't be travelling and get their life in order instead.

 

On a side note, when I read "3 nationalities", I immediately thought: "Gee, let's see. I'll go with Chinese and probably Russian." French does, admittedly, surprise me though.

 

You go with Chinese immediately because of your prejudices or because of this statistic ?

http://www.atta.or.th/statistics-international-tourists-arriving-in-thailand-as-of-29-february-2016/

 

Based on that bar chart I would go with China, Russia and Japan. Yes the French appear to be an outier. Cant be !.. they are white europeans ???? 

 

 

[dallen52]

19 hours ago, ToddinChonburi said:

Funny after a motorbike accident my friend had to pay 20,000 cash to be admitted then use credit card for surgery. 

This is normally the case.

Much of the above printed is pure drivel. 

As many people said, you simply cannot rack up costs like this.

Down payment, passport held, proof of ability to pay. 

I've been confronted with them all. 

Before treatment. 

[potless]

20 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Certainly tourists should have travel insurance that includes emergency medical before coming here. The problem is the l9gistics of trying to enforce that.

The stance of the Thai government in respect of O-A visa applicants is that only insurance issued by "approved" Thai companies is acceptable. So insurance purchased abroad by tourists, by the same reasoning, would be unacceptable ? 

[IvorBiggun2]

20 hours ago, Jessoro said:

Just make it compulsory for travel insurance like other European countries 

Travel insurance is not compulsory in EU countries. It is only mandatory if one applies for a Schengen visa. UK is still in the EU from all accounts and you definitely do not need medical insurance to go there. 

 

Quote

Travel insurance policy is a mandatory requirement only for travelers who need to apply for a Schengen visa. This group of travelers is always required to have the needed coverage for the entire period of their stay in Europe, regardless if they go there for business, tourism, studying, holidays, or for other reasons.

 

[finnishmen]

4 minutes ago, Don Mega said:

Whats that in English ?

thats mean, thailans uses douple procing, thai pay bill have 200 B and foreign pay same operation bill have 400 000 B this is double price idiot system. many shop and place have same all thailand. monkeys try thief foreigns money alltime.

 

[Don Mega]

1 minute ago, finnishmen said:

thats mean, thailans uses douple procing, thai pay bill have 200 B and foreign pay same operation bill have 400 000 B this is double price idiot system. many shop and place have same all thailand. monkeys try thief foreigns money alltime.

 

Yeah double pricing..thai pay Bt.200 and foreigner pay Bt.400,000.

 

Bwahahahahahahahahaha, do you actually believe your own dribble ?

[jirathama]

20 hours ago, colinneil said:

Well at least it is other nationalities, ie Russian/ French and Chinese not paying their bills, for once British folk not being blamed.

I think Khun Chalermpong is telling porkies about so many bills not being paid.

On my last hospital stay here, an admin worker came to my bed side requesting the bill be settled promptly. yet i am covered by insurance, my wife only has to sign the papers, still this man was adamant i paid up, maybe he was scared i did a runner.

Was in Emergency Room in a big Hospital in Chiang Mai. Nurse drove me with the Bed inside, Docs checked on me. Told me to relax for 20 Minutes.

After 10 min a Guy came, with a Paper. Told me to go to the Pharmacy, then to the Cashier, back to the Pharmacy and then back to the Emergency Room for Treatment.

Took me more then 1 hour to follow these Steps. I walked allover these huge Hospital and always had to take a Number.

 

[Prince77]

20 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Result = almost no tourists.

 

I do wonder how the 9,000 foreigners treated over the last year causes 448 Million in bills to be unpaid.

Even if we're talking 10x the normal billing for foreigners.

 

He said half of them did not pay - means 4.500 pax responsible for 448 Mio. Baht - in average 100.000.- B.

[swifty5x5]

20 hours ago, Isaanbiker said:

Plus, they usually take foreigner's passports away to make them pay for their bills.

 

I'm volunteering for an organisation that helps certain nationals in emergency situations and this statement doesn't fit with the cases I am aware of. 

It is illegal to take passports away

 

[johnny49r]

20 hours ago, webfact said:

Thai Tourism: "Half of foreigners" don't pay their hospital bills

Simple solution: either consider this a cost of doing business with tourists or create a plan to prevent tourists from not paying. The director of tourism seems to be saying that he is aware of the problem but doesn't know how to deal with it so blaming others is proper procedure. 

So If the previously mentioned hospital in Phuket was experiencing 50% default among tourists, wouldn't they have noticed and corrected the problem? 

And then there's this:

Dr Chalermpong said that the leading reasons tourists sought treatment at Vachira were after injuries during water sports, motorcycle accidents and attack by animals. 

Hmmmm...is the doc saying that Thailand is a very dangerous place and maybe tourists shouldn't come here? Another nail in the coffin.

 

[Don Mega]

1 minute ago, Prince77 said:

He said half of them did not pay - means 4.500 pax responsible for 448 Mio. Baht - in average 100.000.- B.

You failed at reading the opening article as well !!

[sandmonster]

19 hours ago, Enoon said:

 

The article says two different things.

 

That the top three tourist patients were French, Russian and Chinese.

 

That half of all (not just the ones in the top 3) tourist patients didn't pay their bills.

 

Any bets that it is mostly Chinese, but they don't want to say so?

 

 

 

 

All bets are off. I am sure Chinese will be no 1 by some huge margin.

 

You need me to explain the stats to you below ?  ????

http://www.atta.or.th/statistics-international-tourists-arriving-in-thailand-as-of-29-february-2016/

 

 

[Chazar]

4 hours ago, Kf6vci said:

I disagree. The government hospital extracting 2 teeth for what, (like 650 THB with meds and an xray included) cannot possible break even. The whole operation (buildings, staff, admin, nurses, painkillers, the dentist's salary and the equipment needs to be paid)! 

 

The true cost will be double or triple, JMHO.

 

But then, they could and should ask for an advance payment and settle up later. 

and  cancel the sub order, HST and numerous other complete WASTES of  money

[Chazar]

4 minutes ago, johnny49r said:

So If the previously mentioned hospital in Phuket was experiencing 50% default among tourists, wouldn't they have noticed and corrected the problem? 

Yes DOUBLE  the price  will be their "logical" answer

[Chazar]

4 hours ago, Thian said:

My wife needs to show travelinsurance for the schengen visa or she won't get the visa.

Yet she is  not forced to buy from Schengen only countries and  a  policy which is useless eh?

[mogandave]

20 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Result = almost no tourists.

 

I do wonder how the 9,000 foreigners treated over the last year causes 448 Million in bills to be unpaid.

Even if we're talking 10x the normal billing for foreigners.

 

I think 448 million is the country and 9,000 (or actually 4,500 if half aren’t paying) is one hospital, 

 

 

[Don Mega]

1 minute ago, mogandave said:

I think 448 million is the country and 9,000 (or actually 4,500 if half aren’t paying) is one hospital, 

 

 

Yeah thats what the article says, amusing how many fail at reading !!

[wwest5829]

20 hours ago, Sheryl said:

I think these are mostly serious emergency cases including ones who ultimately die  after long stays in ICU.  Not easy to collect from those.

 

An average of 50k per patient is more than believable. Many individual bills will have exceeded 1 million.

 

Certainly tourists should have travel insurance that includes emergency medical before coming here. The problem is the l9gistics of trying to enforce that.

 

And what sort of hare brained onerous  impractical scheme govt might concoct in the regard to the problem,  based on what we have witnessed for retirees.

I would think that copying the Schengen Visa insurance requirement would work here in Thailand for tourists. Long stay retirees, I do not know about European requirements. I always carry the travel insurance for travel of Up to 2-3 months. Due to excluded pre-existing conditions, age and finances the current requirement for my O-A Visa in untenable.

[fforest1]

1 hour ago, john69 said:

Maybe TAT could run an ad campaing: "Come to Thailand, free medical care. Just walk out of the hospital."

This is hilarious....Best post.....

[kevinmartyn]

It's ok before not too long Thailand will not have any complaints against foreign visitors because it will not have many coming! Because Thailand in heading quickly into economic recession!

[paddyfield7]

20 hours ago, cmsally said:

Simply make it compulsory for those hiring motorbikes and doing watersports to purchase appropriate insurance when they hire the service in question. "attack by animals" ??!! don't know what to think about this one , is it by any chance stray dogs? In which case it is the municipalities job to sort out.

Tell me a community which really would take responsability and care, and I would move to there.....

[chivo]

20 hours ago, Seismic said:

Seriously, Adding insurance to your exotic overseas trip is not that expensive. I doubt it will put a dent in tourist numbers, after all scams, ripoffs, unsolved crimes, and the huge numbers of sick buffalo's do not seem to have done much to those numbers.

Wisdom, poetry. Thank you. 

[falang1969]

So, that's 25 foreigners every single day at just one hospital doing a runner? Really?

[Sheryl]

14 hours ago, FarangULong said:

Probably, I wouldn't know. But these are details, my point was that they obviously weren't refering to "half of all foreigners" or even "half of all tourists". And afaik many private hospitals won't even treat you, unless you can show proof of insurance or pay upfront.

And even if one takes the private hospital going foreigners into account, I'd say (a guess) that the vast majority of tourists or no insurance/low income or pension foreign residents are going to government hospitals anyway. So the private hospital patient percentage is probably miniscule.

Private hospitals definitely will not treat if you cannot pay.

 

Complaints are not from private hospitals.  Quite the contrary. Private hospitals make an excellent profit from foreigners  and none of them are complaining.

 

It is government hospitals who are complaining and most particularly one specific government hospital. Vachira in Phuket.

 

It is not impossible that half of foreign patients at Vachira do not pay their bills.  But I suspect some or even most of those had insurance and the hospital failed to do what it needed to in terms of insurance paperwork.

[Expattaff1308]

5 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

Private hospitals definitely will not treat if you cannot pay.

 

Complaints are not from private hospitals.  Quite the contrary. Private hospitals make an excellent profit from foreignets 

 

It is government hospitals who are complaining and mist oarticularly one specific government hospital. Vachira in Phuket.

 

It is not impossible that half of foreign patients at Vachira do not pay their bills.  But I suspect some or even most of those had insurance and the hospital failed to do what it needed to in terms of insurance paperwork.

You may well be right Sheryl but I dispute these non payers are a majority of western expats, more likely to be Asean workers but they cannot recoup the cash from them so they are blaming & lumping onto the Expat community.

Edited November 30, 2019 by Expattaff1308

[Don Mega]

2 minutes ago, Expattaff1308 said:

You may well be right Sheryl but I dispute these non payers are a majority of western expats, more likely to be Asean workers but they cannot recoup the cash from them so they are blaming & lumping onto the Expat community.

I thought they were lumping onto "foreigners".... where in the article are they saying its expats ?

 

*I assume "Asean workers" are foreigners.

[moe666]

I have paid my bills leaves me off the list. Over the top over reaction mostly workers from neighbor countries

[Expattaff1308]

1 minute ago, Don Mega said:

I thought they were lumping onto "foreigners".... where in the article are they saying its expats ?

 

*I assume "Asean workers" are foreigners.

well I dont see Asean workers coming in on OA visa

[fforest1]

Well I guess Vachira in Phuket should be expecting a whole lot more foreigners using their hospital in the future wearing fresh tennis shoes....It sounds like the place to go for free medical care.... 

Edited November 30, 2019 by fforest1