Dual pricing: Dutch man seeking hospital justice complains nothing is happening

[webfact]

Dual pricing: Dutch man seeking hospital justice complains nothing is happening

 

Thai Caption: Six month case delay

 

A 50 year old man from the Netherlands who has been involved in a long running dispute with Hua Hin Hospital after he was overcharged is refusing to let the case die a death. 

 

The authorities have already decided earlier this year that cancer patient Erwin Buse was overcharged for treatment to the tune of 12,746 baht. 

 

He used to go by motorcycle from his house in Klong Wan district that he shares with his Thai wife to get treatment in Hua Hin. 

 

But the hospital slapped a foreigner "surcharge" on his treatment. He claimed this was illegal and he won and was offered a cash settlement.

 

Two directors were meant to be facing disciplinary and criminal charges six months ago after the Thai counter corruption authorities investigated.

 

The directors appear to have been transferred possibly to Nakhon Pathom as the courts drag their feet and the case appears to have gone cold. 

 

Much of the delay appears to rest on the precise nature of areas of responsibility. 

 

Mr Buse was at Hua Hin police station yesterday to ask what was happening and press for the case to be completely resolved. 

 

Source: Komchadluek

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2019-12-19

Follow Thaivisa on LINE for breaking Thailand news and visa info

[Matzzon]

Me think Mr Buse is walking very close to any kind of made up deportation order. He is clearly a problem that must be dealt with, otherwise they would have been taking care of this long time ago.

[unamazedloso]

It's the Thai way.. They pretend to care and assist until a thai has to face a disciplinary action and suddenly all the people you once associated with will dissapear, phones diconnected, etc..

My wife and i have seen this several times. 

 

[scubascuba3]

12 minutes ago, Matzzon said:

Me think Mr Buse is walking very close to any kind of made up deportation order. He is clearly a problem that must be dealt with, otherwise they would have been taking care of this long time ago.

Good for him standing up to them, can't be easy when getting over cancer

[Destiny1990]

I think the reaction was to make it legal to overcharge foreigners in hospitals. In fairness since they did offer financial compensation what more does he want? Fruit basket?

[Matzzon]

36 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

Good for him standing up to them, can't be easy when getting over cancer

Sure, I agree with you. Just saw the problem out of how the authorities and the police might be thinking of him at the moment.

Edited December 19, 2019 by Matzzon

[NCC1701A]

he is very brave to stand up for himself and all of us. thank you. 

[Naroge]

A key piece of information is missing: did he get the money already or not? If the answer is Yes, then what else does he wants? If the answer is No, then I wish him all the best. And I believe the hospital is liable to pay the money and not the individuals involved.

[TheDutchEngineer]

There has never been offered a 'financial compensation'. They just wanted partially refund some money they slammed on top of the regular fee. I was threatened that they would stop my cancer treatment. They bullied me, and spread several lies about me to the ministry. You want to play it hard… try me! This isn't over yet. Be careful to challenge people that are fighting cancer because they haven't much to loose… 

[worgeordie]

They just string things along ,till you just get fed up with it,

leave the country,or die !

regards Worgeordie

 

[Bangkok Barry]

2 hours ago, Destiny1990 said:

I think the reaction was to make it legal to overcharge foreigners in hospitals. In fairness since they did offer financial compensation what more does he want? Fruit basket?

 

No.

[TheDutchEngineer]

Some rectification: the police investigator from Hua Hin who was assigned to the case was transfered to Nakhon Pathom, leaving the file behind without transferring it to an other officer. (Almost every official that has touched this case have been transfered, just saying) In other words he just dropped the 500 pages in a drawer. 

 

The court didn't drag there feet because it has still not made it to the Samut Prakan court for government official accused of corruption. 

 

The first accused director has made his comeback as the new director of the…  yes Hua Hin Hospital. Appointed by the secretary general of the ministry of public health.

 

In other words, the case dropped stone cold at the Hua Hin police station for the last 6 months while the have a clear order from the NACC to file charges at the public prosecutor at the court of Samut Prakan for the prosecution of corrupt government officials. 

[saengd]

Brave but dangerous.

[P Funk]

How did the hospital justify the surcharge?

[Queenslander]

The other day I visited one the BKK hospital chain. Staff excellent treatment excellent. Time taken for treatment 15 minutes, mild infection.

7 X antibiotic tablets (normal retail price for 10 = 80 THB) = 1351 THB.

Fair price that a Thai could afford...methinks not! 

[Jonnapat]

Since April 2018 government hospitals have been allowed to surcharge foreign patients. 

At Siriraj hospital where I get my cancer treatment there are many notices relating to this.

The surcharge at Siriraj is 25%, I was told that at Queen Sirikit hospital they charge the maximum allowable which is 50%.

[hotchilli]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

The directors appear to have been transferred possibly to Nakhon Pathom as the courts drag their feet and the case appears to have gone cold.

The usual Thai way, bury the story and hope the guy goes away!

Worrying thing is NP is my neck of the woods!

[Con Peoples Fund]

4 hours ago, Matzzon said:

Me think Mr Buse is walking very close to any kind of made up deportation order. He is clearly a problem that must be dealt with, otherwise they would have been taking care of this long time ago.

Agree mate, he got his compensation and thats already a miracle and instead of leaving it he wanna go for bust? TIT mate

[No1]

1 hour ago, TheDutchEngineer said:

The first accused director has made his comeback as the new director of the…  yes Hua Hin Hospital. Appointed by the secretary general of the ministry of public health.

 

In other words, the case dropped stone cold at the Hua Hin police station for the last 6 months while the have a clear order from the NACC to file charges at the public prosecutor at the court of Samut Prakan for the prosecution of corrupt government officials. 

Just let it go. Look forward instead. 

[TheDutchEngineer]

53 minutes ago, P Funk said:

How did the hospital justify the surcharge?

They reported to the ministry that I used the express clinic. This express clinic was nothing other than to jump the queue if you paid them 200 baht in a doggy office. This 200 baht cash was not mentioned on the bill but instead of the 50 baht service charge (the regular fee) they put in 300 and on top of that they added 15% administration fee. But still every foreigner that used the regular service (which is the same service but without going in front of other people) was also charged these fees. Even with admission in the hospital with surgery they added those fees!

 

When the NACC asked for proof that I used express clinic the hospital could not provide. When the NACC asked the hospital for the regulations for the express clinic approved by the ministry the hospital could also not provide. After this the hospital got a visit from the minister and the express clinic moved to a separate department. Now instead of that patient jump the queue, they will pull the specialist out of the regular service to serve the Super VIP patient so it is not so obvious that people who pay extra get first treatment!

[Tropposurfer]

I just got quoted around 26K AUD for right hip replacement by Vejthani Hospital in bkk lol ????

same frigin price as Australia.

What a laugh.  
I know I can get it for as low as 12K, 7K in one of India’s best private orthopaedic hospitals.

talk about Thai’s shooting themselves in the foot ... again haha.

I hope the bloke recovers from the Big C, rips them a new one, n gets his bucks back????????

[kralledr]

Dude i will give you the 12k so you can stop to cry and make a drama...

[TheDutchEngineer]

48 minutes ago, Jonnapat said:

Since April 2018 government hospitals have been allowed to surcharge foreign patients. 

At Siriraj hospital where I get my cancer treatment there are many notices relating to this.

The surcharge at Siriraj is 25%, I was told that at Queen Sirikit hospital they charge the maximum allowable which is 50%.

It was actually illegal! It would be worth to file a petition to the administration court in bangkok. There is no cost and you can send by post. The petition needs to be presented in Thai. 

[Solinvictus]

5 hours ago, Matzzon said:

Me think Mr Buse is walking very close to any kind of made up deportation order. He is clearly a problem that must be dealt with, otherwise they would have been taking care of this long time ago.

 

4 hours ago, unamazedloso said:

It's the Thai way.. They pretend to care and assist until a thai has to face a disciplinary action and suddenly all the people you once associated with will dissapear, phones diconnected, etc..

My wife and i have seen this several times. 

 

Both of these posts really are great. I mean yeah, we can see he really is pushing for this to be taken care of as it were to be back home. I'm willing to say a lot of Thai folks are annoyed with him. In @unamazedloso's post, "They pretend to care and assist until a Thai has to face a disciplinary action...," that is golden. It won't change. 

[Mac98]

I was taken by ambulance to a hospital in Pattaya where I was told I should be put in an ICU room for further examination at 50,000b a night. My Thai friend got the ambulance back and went with me to the government hospital. She handled all the paperwork and got me into a ward at 400b a night where I was correctly diagnosed and treatment was begun immediately. Out of hospital 3 1/2 days later and total bill 16,300b, including two ambulance rides. My two hours in the emergency room at the first hospital was 12,000b. I had used that first hospital many other times and found it to be reasonable, but I had never been admitted to a hospital room there. Was that proposed 50,000b a night in ICU a surcharge? I don't know.

[allenberg]

2 hours ago, TheDutchEngineer said:

There has never been offered a 'financial compensation'. They just wanted partially refund some money they slammed on top of the regular fee. I was threatened that they would stop my cancer treatment. They bullied me, and spread several lies about me to the ministry. You want to play it hard… try me! This isn't over yet. Be careful to challenge people that are fighting cancer because they haven't much to loose… 

+1

[DaRoadrunner]

Bummer..... I have taken a similar case to the Ministry of Health, but will not be holding my breath waiting for them to do something. The hospital drag it out as long as possible, distort the facts and try to sweep it under the carpet. They already fired my doctor, of course he was a Farang, no Thais got fired.

 

*The first word is a clue to the name of the hospital that is the biggest rip off in Thailand.

[Tchooptip]

4 hours ago, Matzzon said:

Sure, I agree with you. Just saw the problem out of how the authorities and the police might be thinking of him at the moment.

Let me tell you politely that contrary to what some members seem to think, not all Thais think the same thing, including when it comes to farangs.

[fantom]

2 hours ago, Queenslander said:

The other day I visited one the BKK hospital chain. Staff excellent treatment excellent. Time taken for treatment 15 minutes, mild infection.

7 X antibiotic tablets (normal retail price for 10 = 80 THB) = 1351 THB.

Fair price that a Thai could afford...methinks not! 

My, (and Mrs Fantom's) experience at our local, non profit, hospital is completely different. Following medical, specialist intervention, we simply take the prescription to our local pharmacist and get the medication.

 

[Matzzon]

52 minutes ago, Tchooptip said:

Let me tell you politely that contrary to what some members seem to think, not all Thais think the same thing, including when it comes to farangs.

And what was it you wanted to say?