Private Hospital Costs Skyrocketing in Chiang Mai/Thailand?

[Dazinoz]

I have used a private hospital in Chiang Mai for over 7 years and have found them reasonable.

 

Monday last week my ex girlfriend phoned me as we ask still friends and she said she had difficulty breathing and was "sick". I went to her room. She had difficulty breathing, severe headache and throat ache, stomach ache and she was burning up. I took her to the hospital. Her temp was 39.3 so she was admitted in  the covid isolation ward until covid test came back which was due next morning. However during the night her temp went over 40 and she went into shock and sepsis set in so she was admitted to ICU. Covid came back negative. She spent 3 days in ICU the 1 night in a normal room. She had standard IV drip and antibiotics and some other medicines administered. Plus she has a few blood tests.

 

I was surprised when the bill came in at 142,000 baht. I guess the covid isolation cost a lot.

 

 

[Inepto Cracy]

That is why people have insurance, even Thai folks whom I know, have hospital admittance and medication insurance. The fees could have been over B600,000.00, if she did have CoVid-19.

[spiekerjozef]

If she's healthy now that is the most important thing...

[Ventenio]

This is going to be the Black Swan for a lot of foreigners, possibly myself.  My insurance ended a few months ago, and I'll renew soon.  Imagine getting a faulty temperature reading, ambulance called, rushed to hospital, covid tests.....isolation for 2 weeks....bill of 1 million baht.  more.

 

next month I have a feeling some teachers at a few schools (all farangs, of course) will get sick and try to hide their symptoms.  this will be a mess.  on the positive side, these last few months I have felt better than any period before since coming to Thailand about 5 years ago.  

 

it's all fun-and-games for the non-mask farang until they get a bill, call mommy and daddy, and read:  2,384,379.98 baht.  

[Dazinoz]

16 minutes ago, Inepto Cracy said:

That is why people have insurance, even Thai folks whom I know, have hospital admittance and medication insurance. The fees could have been over B600,000.00, if she did have CoVid-19.

She is not my relative nor girlfriend and she does not have health insurance.

[Dazinoz]

16 minutes ago, spiekerjozef said:

If she's healthy now that is the most important thing...

To be honest, I really don't care now. Running back and forth to hospital, paid bill. She got out, "thanks" and went back to her room. I messaged her yesterday afternoon, no reply.

 

If I had a second chance.......

[BritManToo]

43 minutes ago, Dazinoz said:

I have used a private hospital in Chiang Mai for over 7 years and have found them reasonable.

 

Monday last week my ex girlfriend phoned me as we ask still friends and she said she had difficulty breathing and was "sick". I went to her room. She had difficulty breathing, severe headache and throat ache, stomach ache and she was burning up. I took her to the hospital. Her temp was 39.3 so she was admitted in  the covid isolation ward until covid test came back which was due next morning. However during the night her temp went over 40 and she went into shock and sepsis set in so she was admitted to ICU. Covid came back negative. She spent 3 days in ICU the 1 night in a normal room. She had standard IV drip and antibiotics and some other medicines administered. Plus she has a few blood tests.

 

I was surprised when the bill came in at 142,000 baht. I guess the covid isolation cost a lot.

 

Plenty of government hospitals to choose from ..... same treatment for 4,000bht or less.

NakornPing on the Mae Rim road has always been my first choice.

 

You were a bit daft paying her bill, she's not your gf.

Edited June 28, 2020 by BritManToo

[Oldie]

5 minutes ago, Dazinoz said:

To be honest, I really don't care now. Running back and forth to hospital, paid bill. She got out, "thanks" and went back to her room. I messaged her yesterday afternoon, no reply.

 

If I had a second chance.......

It is your ex girlfriend. Why did you do all this? 

[scubascuba3]

6 minutes ago, Dazinoz said:

To be honest, I really don't care now. Running back and forth to hospital, paid bill. She got out, "thanks" and went back to her room. I messaged her yesterday afternoon, no reply.

 

If I had a second chance.......

A govt hospital probably wouldn't have rushed to go into ICU, private hospitals do charge 50k a day ICU so the mistake was going there plus of course paying

[Dazinoz]

2 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

 

Plenty of government hospitals to choose from ..... same treatment for 4,000bht or less.

NakornPing on the Mae Rim road has always been my first choice.

When I first came to Chiang Mai to live I needed a procedure so I did a google search on doctor i needed and one was at this hospital. 

 

I guess being a creature of habit I stuck to this hospital. Not any more.

[Dazinoz]

5 minutes ago, scubascuba3 said:

A govt hospital probably wouldn't have rushed to go into ICU, private hospitals do charge 50k a day ICU so the mistake was going there plus of course paying

I am sure I would have got away without paying. As it was the lady in question wanted to go for a smoke while waiting for me to get the money and they would not let her leave the room until I paid. They also wanted to keep my passport until I paid. I did not have it with me.

Edited June 28, 2020 by Dazinoz

[Dazinoz]

4 minutes ago, Oldie said:

It is your ex girlfriend. Why did you do all this? 

Stupid I guess. But believe me taught me BIG lesson.

[BritManToo]

Just now, Dazinoz said:

When I first came to Chiang Mai to live I needed a procedure so I did a google search on doctor i needed and one was at this hospital. 

 

I guess being a creature of habit I stuck to this hospital. Not any more.

Siam Hospital at the end of Chang Puak road is fairly reasonable as a Private hospital.

Pal of mine stuck his Burmese gf there after a m/c accident (broken leg), didn't cost him a fortune.

I used their dental department after an accident, they charged me under 4,000bht for a broken jaw, reattach 2 front teeth and 2 eye teeth rebuilt, but it took about 4 visits over 6 months to complete the job.

[Dazinoz]

1 minute ago, BritManToo said:

Siam Hospital at the end of Chang Puak road is fairly reasonable as a Private hospital.

Pal of mine stuck his Burmese gf there after a m/c accident (broken leg), didn't cost him a fortune.

I used their dental department after an accident, they charged me under 4,000bht for a broken jaw, reattach 2 front teeth and 2 eye teeth rebuilt, but it took about 4 visits over 6 months to complete the job.

Sounds good to me. Might give them a try next time.

 

[Sheryl]

No private hospital costs less. For ICU care in a private Thai hospital this bill is if anything low.

 

Your prior experiebces with this hospital likely did not entail ICU care.

 

Be aware that bills in private hospitals can easily reach several million baht if extended ICU care or specialized complex surgeries involved.

 

However as a Thai citizen she could have gotten free care at a government hospital. And they would have beeb well able to treat this.

 

 

[Dazinoz]

1 minute ago, Sheryl said:

No private hospital costs less. For ICU care in a private Thai hospital this bill is if anything low.

 

Your prior experiebces with this hospital likely did not entail ICU care.

 

Be aware that bills in private hospitals can easily reach several million baht if extended ICU care or specialized complex surgeries involved.

 

However as a Thai citizen she could have gotten free care at a government hospital. And they would have beeb well able to treat this.

 

 

Actually our baby son spent nearly a week in ICU in this hospital and bill was no where near as much. Bit this was around 3 years ago.

 

Unfortunately she is not a Thai citizen, she is Burmese.

[Oldie]

Just now, Dazinoz said:

Stupid I guess. But believe me taught me BIG lesson.

I am like you. My relationship has ended 7 years ago and I still see her like my own child. At the moment I pay for her credits because she doesn't have any income because of Corona. She never asked me for any money. But I think I should help her. It doesn't bring any rewards. But I am old and have been never married and don't have any children. I see it as donation for a good purpose. When I die she will inherit everything anyway because there is no one else. After her I never looked for another relationship again. I ended it and it was not her fault. I always liked to have my freedom. This is the reason why I never married. 

[cyril sneer]

50 minutes ago, Inepto Cracy said:

That is why people have insurance, even Thai folks whom I know, have hospital admittance and medication insurance. The fees could have been over B600,000.00, if she did have CoVid-19.

the insurance company wouldnt have paid out for this

 

had a friend with a similar experience and had to cough up the money herself, something in the smallprint

[simon43]

34 minutes ago, Dazinoz said:

To be honest, I really don't care now. Running back and forth to hospital, paid bill. She got out, "thanks" and went back to her room. I messaged her yesterday afternoon, no reply.

 

If I had a second chance.......

You paid her bill??!!

[timendres]

17 minutes ago, Dazinoz said:

Actually our baby son spent nearly a week in ICU in this hospital and bill was no where near as much. Bit this was around 3 years ago.

 

Unfortunately she is not a Thai citizen, she is Burmese.

I am wondering if the difference in price was due to the recent government policy allowing hospitals to charge a multiple on the price for foreign patients. The policy was enacted within the last year, I believe.

[Oldie]

6 minutes ago, timendres said:

I am wondering if the difference in price was due to the recent government policy allowing hospitals to charge a multiple on the price for foreign patients. The policy was enacted within the last year, I believe.

At doctors you always have to ask before how much it will be. I could tell you very bad stories about private hospitals here in Thailand. I needed a crown and asked for a cost estimate. Afterwards they tried to charge me twice as much. I told the manager here is the amount we agreed upon and I give you 10 minutes to call the police. But this was not my worst experience. One hospital said after endless examinations that I have lung cancer. A professor on the Philippines just laughed when he saw all the scans and said that they ripped me off. In a country with a good legal system I would have sued them. I could entertain you with much more bad stories... They are not your friends. You are their chance to make money. 

[CorpusChristie]

1 hour ago, Dazinoz said:

To be honest, I really don't care now. Running back and forth to hospital, paid bill. She got out, "thanks" and went back to her room. I messaged her yesterday afternoon, no reply.

 

If I had a second chance.......

Better go around there and check shes still alive ?

[JeffersLos]

A Thai female friend of mine turned yellow last month. Skin, eyes, sunflower yellow.

 

Jaundice, due to.... gall stones I think.

 

Anyway. Nakornping hospital did an amazing job. 6 days in there. The ward was nice. I actually thought it was a private hospital.

 

Back 3 weeks later to be operated on, for the second part of the procedure. 3 nights I think.

 

Total cost, 140,000 baht.

 

Total payment. 60 baht. (Taksin's 30 baht health scheme x 2.)

 

Plus a few hundred for medicine. 

 

 

Definitely a thumbs up for Nakornping Hospital. 

[bert bloggs]

Here in Pattaya i went to Banglamung govt hospital ,my wife and son took me a few months ago as i was having heart trouble (have for 40 yrs) was given x ray ,heart scan ,blood tests and was there for about 2 hours ,said all normal ,but would i like to stay overnight ,but didnt 1200 baht ,how much if it had been bangkok pattaya hospital ,? you guess ,

[Oldie]

2 minutes ago, CorpusChristie said:

Better go around there and check shes still alive ?

The Asian mentality is not always easy to understand. It took years for me to get used to it. But for sure it wasn't easy the other way around too. I never forget when I moved from Europe to California. After a while there was a meeting and the big boss asked the people I was responsible for if I have settled in. They said that they got used to me. Not a good feeling for me... I will never forget. 

[JeffersLos]

20 minutes ago, Oldie said:

One hospital said after endless examinations that I have lung cancer.

Unfortunately a friend of mine had throat cancer, but they diagnosed it as asthma. 

 

6 more months of suffering and non-treatment, before finally getting it diagnosed properly. With that 6 months of non-treatment, and it was too late. Passed away within a year. 

[JeffersLos]

9 minutes ago, JeffersLos said:

Total cost, 140,000 baht.

 

Total payment. 60 baht. (Taksin's 30 baht health scheme x 2.)

I should add, she was out of work for 2 months due to Covid, savings gone, and was in serious medical trouble that needed immediate operating on including a week connected to drips etc etc. 

 

140,000 baht would likely have crippled the family with an emergency family house sale or something. 

 

People say bad things about Taksin, but that 30 baht healthcare scheme is absolutely fantastic. Well done to him for that. 

[Dazinoz]

19 minutes ago, CorpusChristie said:

Better go around there and check shes still alive ?

Pass.

[Dazinoz]

47 minutes ago, timendres said:

I am wondering if the difference in price was due to the recent government policy allowing hospitals to charge a multiple on the price for foreign patients. The policy was enacted within the last year, I believe.

Probably most likely after previous experiences at that hospital.

[Oldie]

12 minutes ago, Dazinoz said:

Probably most likely after previous experiences at that hospital.

 

There are 2 problems - the high hospital bill and the reaction of this lady. 

 

I can understand your feelings and I would feel the same. Talk to her and try to find out if it makes sense to do anything for her again. If not then never do it again. You have no obligation.