Help pls. Do Thai citizens get subsidized or free medical care

[Sheryl]

I have already posted the answer: he is being lied to.

 

Surgery is free. The poster who said otherwise is wrong.

 

All health care is free with very few exceptions.

[ChipButty]

Wait until the buffalo gets sick and her sisters sowing machine is broken then it's your fault sister me no hab work no hab money no rice always your fault 

[lopburi3]

2 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

No way 200,000 baht. Doesn't even cost that much at most private hospitals. I think you were lied to.

Second that - wife had laparoscopic gallbladder removal at Vejthani Hospital eight months ago (second to top tier private hospital pricing) and cost was 205,000.  Government hospital would have been a fraction of that cost (guess would be about 10%). 

 

My pay operation (major surgery several years ago would have been 80k at government hospital and actual cost at Bangkok Hospital was a bit over 1 million).  

[uhuh]

4 scenarios when health care (including surgery) is not free:

 

1. She doesn't use the hospital where she is registered (it may be upcountry whereas she lives in Pattaya or Bangkok). Very common. 

 

2. Government hospital has very long waitlists or is not any good whereas there is a somewhat better private hospital (probably run by the same doctors). The latter is sometimes the case with district hospitals, would be very unusual for a  provincial hospital. 

 

3. Patient wants a service or procedure deemed not necessary in the government system. For example,  private room, CT scan for diarrhea (commonly done in certain private hospitals), lots of colorful pills the private system will happily prescribe, imported medicine instead of GPO. 

 

4. Hospital wants money that it is not entitled to, especially if there is a foreign payer in the background. Just don't pay.

[bergbear]

If she is unemployed, treatment is free. She must register with the government as unemployed first. Otherwise it is low cost, as others have said.

There are low cost health insurance policies you could buy for her that will get her a private hospital room and in some cases better treatment.

Medical care in Thailand is quite good . When in hospital, it is normally expected that a friend of relative should bring meals . See if you can arrange someone to do that

 

I hope that helps.

[Sheryl]

5 hours ago, bergbear said:

If she is unemployed, treatment is free. She must register with the government as unemployed first. Otherwise it is low cost, as others have said.

There are low cost health insurance policies you could buy for her that will get her a private hospital room and in some cases better treatment.

Medical care in Thailand is quite good . When in hospital, it is normally expected that a friend of relative should bring meals . See if you can arrange someone to do that

 

I hope that helps.

Employment status affects only which scheme she is under, SS or "universal" (AKA 30 baht). In either case care is free. She does not need to register as unemployed. Every Thai citizen not already enrolled in SS scheme is automatically coveted under the univetsal scheme.

 

I very much doubt she is actually going to have a hospital admission for this vague "intestinal problem", though. I think the whole thing is made up to get money. 

[TC17]

My girlfriend had a tonsillectomy at Burapha University Hospital in November.  Private room, i took care of her and slept in the room.  They even provided food for me. Total cost including prescriptions was around 5000 baht.

[Jenoroth]

Sorry and thank you very much to all the kind and helpful replies.

 

I have already told my girlfriend to call up the government or whichever related party is in charge of this free healthcare and to find out how she can register herself for this healthcare.

 

I’ve been with her for quite some time now  and she has gastritis since young.

 

Im hoping she can call up and check if she’s entitled to free or at the very least subsidized healthcare.

 

she told me before she doesnt have any universal healthcare card or any insurance.

 

worried as hell now

[tonray]

10 hours ago, Jenoroth said:

she told me before she doesnt have any universal healthcare card

Her Thai ID is her card

[Jenoroth]

5 minutes ago, tonray said:

Her Thai ID is her card

Is this true? Her Thai ID card is considered the universal health coverage card?

 

does she need to apply or specifically do anything else in order to be covered?

 

the thing is, she is staying alone in a rented room by herself in Bangkok. Her family/hometown is far away from Bangkok.

 

from some of the post here I saw that they need to visit hospital near to where she is from.

 

does that mean she wouldn’t qualify??

[lopburi3]

9 minutes ago, tonray said:

Her Thai ID is her card

You said in OP she was a Thai Citizen.  Are you sure? 

 

As for hospital it is normally at the area she is listed on a home register (list for those living at a specific location) and often Thai do not change from parents when coming to Bangkok so she would have to return to home area for free treatment or get herself listed on a home register in Bangkok and thus be eligible to register at a local hospital here.

 

Regardless of registration she can obtain treatment at any hospital on a pay for service basis and government hospitals are not expensive, especially for normal operations and medications and doctor visits.  

 

[1FinickyOne]

On 4/20/2020 at 10:34 PM, Jenoroth said:

as one reply mentioned, invasive surgery requires payment.

My father in law had a 12 hour bypass operation.. he spent 2 weeks in the hospital before the operation to stabilize him, and 2 weeks after... he also gewts free meds for life too...

 

the entire process was 30 baht... 

[Jenoroth]

Guys, sorry to bump this thread again.

 

what about treatments for cancer??

 

is cancer treatment funded or subsidized by government??

[lopburi3]

7 minutes ago, Jenoroth said:

Guys, sorry to bump this thread again.

 

what about treatments for cancer??

 

is cancer treatment funded or subsidized by government??

Yes it is - just as everything else.  But as said must use hospital assigned.

[GarryP]

30 minutes ago, Jenoroth said:

Guys, sorry to bump this thread again.

 

what about treatments for cancer??

 

is cancer treatment funded or subsidized by government??

My wife was treated for cancer. It cost us nothing. However, there was a bit of messing around to get her admitted in Bangkok where we lived, as her house registration was still in her home town in the north east. 

 

The only additional costs we paid were for a particular medicine that was not on the National List of Essential Medicines, and which medicine was not prescribed by the hospital. The doctor just suggested that it could help and that we could buy it cheaply from a local drug store if we wanted to try it.    

[Grumpy one]

On 4/21/2020 at 8:35 AM, ChipButty said:

If Im not mistaken she can only go for treatment where she is registered in a Tabian Baan the blue book and get the doctors report (copy) get it translated post it here lots of guys here will translate it for you, before you think It wont happen to you getting scammed I mean it can and it will I was asked for 60,000 Baht once for an operation but I didn't fall for it I was right on to it, and that has happened twice in my time here.

But did you pay for grand mothers sick buffalo?

[Jenoroth]

1 hour ago, lopburi3 said:

Yes it is - just as everything else.  But as said must use hospital assigned.

By assigned hospital do you mean a hospital where she is from? Like her place of birth or hometown??

 

eg if she is from Isan, does that mean she can only get free medical care at Isan?

[Sheryl]

7 minutes ago, Jenoroth said:

By assigned hospital do you mean a hospital where she is from? Like her place of birth or hometown??

 

eg if she is from Isan, does that mean she can only get free medical care at Isan?

 

The hospital which covers the locations where she is currently registered in a tabian ban or a higher level facility that they refer her to. In cases of cancer most patients will be referred to a higher level unless they happen in live in an area with a specialized cancer hospital. There are severall government hospitals purely for cancer care in various regions of the country.

 

Fir less serious ailments, may have to get the care at the hospital for her tabian ban. Place of birth is irrelevant. And tabian ban listings can be changed, and should be if someone has permanently relocated.

 

I can assure you that all Thais know this. Whoever is coming to you asking for money for treatment, knows exactly where and how to get treatment for free.

 

You may need to consider the possibility that there is no cancer and whole thing is a scam. It is very, very, very common here.

 

[Jenoroth]

19 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

 

The hospital which covers the locations where she is currently registered in a tabian ban or a higher level facility that they refer her to. In cases of cancer most patients will be referred to a higher level unless they happen in live in an area with a specialized cancer hospital. There are severall government hospitals purely for cancer care in various regions of the country.

 

Fir less serious ailments, may have to get the care at the hospital for her tabian ban. Place of birth is irrelevant. And tabian ban listings can be changed, and should be if someone has permanently relocated.

 

I can assure you that all Thais know this. Whoever is coming to you asking for money for treatment, knows exactly where and how to get treatment for free.

 

You may need to consider the possibility that there is no cancer and whole thing is a scam. It is very, very, very common here.

 

Hi Sheryl, thank you very much for your detailed answer. Really appreciate your help in answering my relentless questions.

 

And no, the person I’m talking with doesn’t have cancer. I’m just trying to get some answers in case I get asked for help for medical, I will know how to answer.

 

However, it does seem a bit too good to be true that a country like Thailand provides such universal and subsidized healthcare.

 

im sure it comes with some skepticism from the doctors at government hospital right?

 

like if you genuinely feel you have some serious health problems and request to have a more detailed scan like mri or some invasive body checkup(endoscopy) etc, will the doctors turn you down and say you are probably just experiencing something minor and just give you some medicine and tell you to <deleted> off??

[teatime101]

On 4/21/2020 at 7:57 AM, The Cobra said:

This sounds like another extortion story to me.

I hate to say, but it also sounds bit dodgy to me. I'd be asking for her to send a doctor's report before paying out any money, for starters.

Edited May 8, 2020 by teatime101

[Why Me]

37 minutes ago, Jenoroth said:

However, it does seem a bit too good to be true that a country like Thailand provides such universal and subsidized healthcare.

"country like Thailand"? On principle I never call anyone a dope so I would term you naive. Thailand actually has a darned good healthcare system, particularly for Thais. Which every Thai knows.

 

And here's a tip, Jen. Thais generally are pretty proud of their country and if you've been giving your gf "country like Thailand" vibes then she hates your guts but, of course, you don't know this. Because why would a gal from a "country like Thailand" not be thrilled to have you for a bf, right?

 

And you would be right. She is. But not for the reason you think. Because she's planning to take the besotted supercilious farang for what he's worth. And what better way to start than to tug at the heartstrings of man from a "country not like Thailand" with a tale of woe.

 

Like I said I never call anyone a dope. No exceptions.

Edited May 8, 2020 by Why Me

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

2 hours ago, GarryP said:

My wife was treated for cancer. It cost us nothing. However, there was a bit of messing around to get her admitted in Bangkok where we lived, as her house registration was still in her home town in the north east. 

 

How did you manage to get the BKK public hospital to care for her at no cost, when her house registration and assigned local hospital under that was in another province?

 

 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

54 minutes ago, Jenoroth said:

However, it does seem a bit too good to be true that a country like Thailand provides such universal and subsidized healthcare.

 

Thailand does, but its network of government hospitals are not a panacea.

 

The government hospital system is underfunded, overburdened, the quality of medical services and care may vary widely from the premier research hospitals down to the local district hospitals, there are often long wait queues to see doctors, and the treatment offered in some cases may be a reflection of all of the above.

 

But it's certainly better than having nothing, or having a system like in other countries where getting medical care pushes people into financial distress and bankruptcy.

 

[Jenoroth]

7 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

Thailand does, but its network of government hospitals are not a panacea.

 

The government hospital system is underfunded, overburdened, the quality of medical services and care may vary widely from the premier research hospitals down to the local district hospitals, there are often long wait queues to see doctors, and the treatment offered in some cases may be a reflection of all of the above.

 

But it's certainly better than having nothing, or having a system like in other countries where getting medical care pushes people into financial distress and bankruptcy.

 

Yes, this is exactly what I’m worried about.

government hospital, being free, has long wait and queue time.

 

and even if you do manage to wait untill it’s your turn, will the doctors treat you hastily and dismiss any of your concerns? 
 

 

[lopburi3]

57 minutes ago, Jenoroth said:

and even if you do manage to wait untill it’s your turn, will the doctors treat you hastily and dismiss any of your concerns? 

Normally waits are a few hours and emergency is in real time.  Doctors have no incentive to prescribe medications or tests for profit so it is based on patient - but yes they make the decision not you.  But you always have the option to pay for service at another location or use private facilities (where you will find more of the USA style push high priced tests/medications for maxim profit).

[Sheryl]

11 hours ago, Jenoroth said:

Hi Sheryl, thank you very much for your detailed answer. Really appreciate your help in answering my relentless questions.

 

And no, the person I’m talking with doesn’t have cancer. I’m just trying to get some answers in case I get asked for help for medical, I will know how to answer.

 

However, it does seem a bit too good to be true that a country like Thailand provides such universal and subsidized healthcare.

 

im sure it comes with some skepticism from the doctors at government hospital right?

 

like if you genuinely feel you have some serious health problems and request to have a more detailed scan like mri or some invasive body checkup(endoscopy) etc, will the doctors turn you down and say you are probably just experiencing something minor and just give you some medicine and tell you to <deleted> off??

Many countries provide universal healthcare. Bear in mind Thailand is far from poor.  It is an upper middle income country. (Bar girls and the like have learned to spin stories of poverty because that is what appeals to Western men. One of the last threads we had on someone being hit up for medical costs concerned a woman who according to what she told him was from a terribly poor underserved remote area. Turned out to be from an affluent suburb of Bangkok. Don't be too gullible.)

 

I don't know what you mean by "doubt". Government hospitals provide care according to accepted medical standards abd on the whole do a very good job. Quality as good or bettter than in private hospitals though amenities of course much worse, conditions crowded etc.

 

Look this thread is going nowhere. You have been repeatedly told that Thais have free health care. If you want to give this woman money for a health condition that may or may not exist (my money is on the latter) you can, but do not for one minute imagine it was necessary or that you are saving her. And if you are in a "relationship" where you have to continually arm yourself with information to rebut requests for money, you may not actually be on a relationship at all but rather a financial transaction. In which the attemprs to get money from you will never stop. When one story does not work it will immediately be replaced with a new one.

 

[GarryP]

11 hours ago, TallGuyJohninBKK said:

 

How did you manage to get the BKK public hospital to care for her at no cost, when her house registration and assigned local hospital under that was in another province?

 

 

After the cancer was confirmed at a local private hospital, they suggested she go to Rajavithi Hospital. Rajavithi then arranged a referral to them from my wife's registered hospital in Ubol. Once the papers were in place it was straightforward and she was treated at Rajavithi. Later Rajavithi also referred her to Klang Hospital (aka Bangkok Metropolitan Area General Hospital) for certain treatments. Her treatment was successful but she has since died.