Diarrhoea-hit family get Bt40,000 hospital bill after eating at “fine-dining” restaurant

By The Nation

 

 

A family who suffered severe diarrhoea after allegedly eating at a fine-dining restaurant in Bangkok’s Ari neighbourhood had to shell out Bt40,000 for hospital treatment.

 

A Twitter user revealed that her family had eaten dishes, including sea urchin and capelin at the chef’s-table-style restaurant, which has only 10 seats.

 

Her hospital bill came to about Bt20,000, but the family ended up paying another Bt20,000 after her mother, brother and friend were also hit with diarrhoea six hours later.

 

She then contacted the restaurant, They denied it was their fault, claiming if it was because of their food, the family would have experienced diarrhoea in less than six hours. The restaurant flatly refused to take any responsibility.

 

Thai netizens were quick to voice their opinions, and some of them wanted the restaurant’s name to be revealed so they could avoid the same fate.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30392155

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-07-30

 

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Nobody forced them to use private hospitals.

Would have cost them nothing at the local government hospital.

Or they could have purchased a packet of Loperamide (Imodium) for 20bht.

Edited July 30, 20205 yr by BritManToo

Sea food in Thai restaurants in Bangkok.   Leathal 

7 minutes ago, webfact said:

severe diarrhoea

dirty water for sure.

3 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Nobody forced them to use private hospitals.

Would have cost them nothing at the local government hospital.

Or they could have purchased a packet of Loperamide (Immodium) for 20bht.

ime, it takes antibiotic to kill off the bacteria, immodium could well make it worse

Sounds like their big turnout was from the urchins at the fine dining restaurant surely ???? 

17 minutes ago, webfact said:

wanted the restaurant’s name to be revealed so they could avoid the same fate.

Cannot. ????

Sea food is always a gamble in Thailand; the one time I had food poisoning here was after eating oysters at an open air restaurant in Soi 7, Sukumvit. Steered away from oysters ever since, some kind of Pavlovian response. No 40,000bt bill though, retreated to my hotel room and sent the SO out to pick up some stuff from the local pharmacy - throwing up and <deleted>ting became my lifestyle for a couple of days. It's a good way to bond though, when you're like dependent on another person, kind of reversal of roles, weird as that might seem. Ah, the good old days. 

The type and strength of the toxin is directly connected to how quickly the body reacts. If one member got it within 12-18 hours, and the others got it as well, then it is for sure from the same source.

But yeah, who forced them to go to a private hospital?

As for immodium, I feel that it's safer to let things go through (and keep hydrated) than to block bad contents inside. The body knows best!

6 minutes ago, 2long said:

As for immodium, I feel that it's safer to let things go through (and keep hydrated) than to block bad contents inside. The body knows best!

100% agree, on the rare occasion I do get a bug I take a dose of epsom salts to get rid of the <deleted> as quickly as possible and drink lots of water with some minerals.

10 minutes ago, CGW said:

100% agree, on the rare occasion I do get a bug I take a dose of epsom salts to get rid of the <deleted> as quickly as possible and drink lots of water with some minerals.

 

49 minutes ago, webfact said:

claiming if it was because of their food, the family would have experienced diarrhoea in less than six hours

I suppose they could take the Epsom Salts to pass the time away.

 

I live nearby and know this place. It's been on my wish list of places to visit for a while. It looked good and has good reviews (until now). Sea Urchin and Capelin would not be my choice of food but their other stuff looks much safer. I wonder if they'll stay in business much longer as the Ari HiSo's will soon spread word of their sickness. 40,000 Baht for diarrhoea is excessive.  

This story doesn't make sense.  Everyone who's lived in Thailand long enough must have been hit with the diarrhea before, or some manner of food poisoning.  I certainly have, one time so severe that I had painful stomach cramps, fatigue, and diarrhea for days.  But I never bothered to go to the hospital and recovered.  So to pay 40,000 bt for diarrhea....bizarre.

I,m very happy to to be allergic to any sea food, BC i worked at a clinic in HK, more than half the cases were seafood poisoning

Never happened to me but then not eaten this muck for 48 years, fish belong in the water not in yer guts ????

1 hour ago, webfact said:

claiming if it was because of their food, the family would have experienced diarrhoea in less than six hours

Restaurant must have a lot of experience with diarrhoea to give out medical advice. 

Why the attack on private hospital usage? If they can afford it, why go to a low level gov hospital with the commoners, long waits and stingy farangs...

 

and yes, those hospitals wrongly treat this illness with expensive drugs for profit when all what is needed is hydration...
 

diarrhea is a natural body response mechanism to rid the bug asap...proper and correct treatment is hydration and no expensive IV antibiotics needed for simple diarrhea...

 

county PH should follow up with an investigation of the restaurant....that’s their job and responsibility..   

 

 

4 minutes ago, RichardColeman said:

1 hour ago, webfact said:

claiming if it was because of their food, the family would have experienced diarrhoea in less than six hours

Restaurant must have a lot of experience with diarrhoea to give out medical advice. 

Most people know that acute food poisoning has a relatively quick lag time (less than 6 hours). 

 

The restaurant may well be correct. 

 

Additionally, if the restaurant was to blame, would other diners have become unwell (there were 10 seats at the chefs table) - unless the family ate one dish the other diners didn’t, i.e. sea urchin. 

 

If the restaurant was prepared to be responsible it could isolate what the family at which no one else ate and have samples tested (it’s of course too late now, a few days after the event). 

 

The food poisoning could well have come from the families own home. 

Thai defamation laws insure that the restaurant will not be identified. That would be legally actionable. Amazing Thailand.

1 hour ago, webfact said:

including sea urchin and capelin

anyone dinning on those is asking for trouble.  

22 minutes ago, Berkshire said:

This story doesn't make sense.  Everyone who's lived in Thailand long enough must have been hit with the diarrhea before, or some manner of food poisoning.  I certainly have, one time so severe that I had painful stomach cramps, fatigue, and diarrhea for days.  But I never bothered to go to the hospital and recovered.  So to pay 40,000 bt for diarrhea....bizarre.

i was once so weakened that i got rolled into the hospital in a wheelchair,

you really should get on antibiotic on 2nd day at the latest

how was dinner dear    !    lol

1 hour ago, webfact said:

which has only 10 seats.

half of which are out of action after this .. 

 

1 hour ago, webfact said:

had to shell out

groan .. 

4 minutes ago, steven100 said:

how was dinner dear    !    lol

Or to rephrase that: How dear was dinner?

maybe the family went 'private' under the assumption the huge Bill would be forced down the Restaurants throats -  a sort of 'punishment' that has now backfired

57 minutes ago, 2long said:

The type and strength of the toxin is directly connected to how quickly the body reacts. If one member got it within 12-18 hours, and the others got it as well, then it is for sure from the same source.

But yeah, who forced them to go to a private hospital?

As for immodium, I feel that it's safer to let things go through (and keep hydrated) than to block bad contents inside. The body knows best!

I think your last para. is right.  If you have to go out take immodium if staying in just sit on the crapper till it passes ( no pun intended ).

13 minutes ago, steven100 said:

anyone dinning on those is asking for trouble.  

Indeed can make you quite eel those .. 

4 minutes ago, tifino said:

maybe the family went 'private' under the assumption the huge Bill would be forced down the Restaurants throats -  a sort of 'punishment' that has now backfired

'the huge Bill would be forced down the Restaurants throats'

It was all seafood, no pelicans on the menu at all.

1 minute ago, Justgrazing said:

15 minutes ago, steven100 said:

anyone dinning on those is asking for trouble.  

Indeed can make you quite eel those .. 

Oh do just be quiet.

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

Nobody forced them to use private hospitals.

Would have cost them nothing at the local government hospital.

Or they could have purchased a packet of Loperamide (Imodium) for 20bht.

I agree about the choice of hospital.

But imodium might help.

Or not.

And then you need something else.