Dad stranded in Thai hospital after surviving fall from sixth floor balcony

[Muzzique]

12 minutes ago, sammieuk1 said:

Whatever the circumstances of non payment looks like a sick Brit is being held hostage for money not surprising here is it ????  

 

I've heard of worse

 

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-48907130 

 

Edited November 8, 2020 by Muzzique

[Grumpy John]

Back in 2009 the first thing I noticed when I rented a condo at Cosy Beach was how low the balcony wall was...I looked over and I could see the roof of the foyer and the managers office on level one.  I thought to myself if I fell from my second floor condo I would definitely hurt myself. 

 

Luckily I never did!  And none of my numerous guests had the misfortune to fall either......

[Letseng]

5 hours ago, Trujillo said:

What does the alleged fact that he is a "dad" have to do with anything? 

Pulls heart strings

[Barry343]

Must have been cashed up to retire at 55. 10,000 English pounds about 400,000 should be easy for a person who believe health insurance is not needed. 

[mike787]

Start a GOFUND, less talk, more action.  

Edited November 8, 2020 by mike787

[British Bulldog]

4 hours ago, bobandyson said:

Any Brit who has lived outside of the UK for more than one year would have to wait 6 months before receiving benefits upon returning.

That's from what I've heard.

Same in Australia also ... a friend of mine returned to Aus for a short break, he went for a full blown medical (due to his age), he nearly had a heart attack when he was told that his old Medicare card didn't cover him and he'd have to wait 6 months before its re-instigated, meanwhile, they also told him that he could not claim on the recent hospital bills (tests) that he had acquired in 6 months !!!

[maxcorrigan]

1 hour ago, IamNoone88 said:

I never ceases to amaze me why people do not buy the insurance they need in a foreign country. You can simply buy cover online these days.

You'd be even more amazed if you could get insurance at +80 yr old with a bit of medical history then reading the small print would knock your socks off when you find you have hardly any cover at all, as always words are cheap, especially when you don't know what you are talking about!

[shackleton]

Well how many times have we read about people not having medical insurance 

Here in Thailand

sorry but he has no  valid reasons or excuses  for not having insurance cover

Ie over 70 ect

Luckily his family can count on the Go Fund Me appeal

Anyone reading this and don't have insurance cover

should seriously have a rethink

 

On 11/4/2020 at 10:07 AM, shackleton said:

 

  

 

[Destiny1990]

Let the developer who built that condominium with such low balcony railings pay for his medical bills..

[DavisH]

4 hours ago, tonray said:

With those conditions he should have used an international insurer...but many expats with free NHS style coverage at home would never consider buying insurance. It's not something they think about, the answer always is "I'll just fly home"....heard it from dozens here already.

And you can't just 'fly home' in a coma or if in intensive care. 

[Sheryl]

Several posts in extremely bad taste have been removed.

 

Whatever the details may be, it is sure that this is a tragic situation both for this man and his worried family. Show some decency please.

[Migrosmarket]

57 minutes ago, British Bulldog said:

Same in Australia also ... a friend of mine returned to Aus for a short break, he went for a full blown medical (due to his age), he nearly had a heart attack when he was told that his old Medicare card didn't cover him and he'd have to wait 6 months before its re-instigated, meanwhile, they also told him that he could not claim on the recent hospital bills (tests) that he had acquired in 6 months !!!

Why do people tell their government they have lived abroad? Just keep quiet and use a family/friend address.

[hotchilli]

6 hours ago, rooster59 said:

Dad stranded in Thai hospital after surviving fall from sixth floor balcony

Another victim who got their priorities wrong.

[Migrosmarket]

Frankly it beggars belief that so many people simply don't think about their future and potential problems/risks.

 

Don't burn your bridges in your own country.

Don't spend all your savings.

Don't circumnavigate the visa laws (then you will have reserves to fall back on)

Do get insurance.

Don't rent above ground level if you suffer  from mental issues.

Don't live abroad if you are a cheap charlie

[brianthainess]

So if he has been retired here for 5 yrs what happened to his 800,000 baht?

oh let me guess he used an agent.

[rickudon]

2 hours ago, Muzzique said:

 

if you return to the UK after over 3 months away you and you want to claim new benefits, you may be asked to show you did not cut ties here. 

 

If you don't have a home here but have another overseas then they can argue you don't live or plan to here. Then you will need to prove your ties to the UK making it your Habitual Home. 

 

If you can't then you can't claim benefits for 3 months. I haven't heard it move to 6 months though so I am assuming this is still correct

Yes, my son went to work in Africa (voluntary work for 3 months). When he returned he was denied benefits for 3 months. That was 2.5 years ago. I do not think the habitual residence test mattered, just being abroad for 3 months was the key. Also then got stiffed for dental treatment because he couldn't sign on. 

[mal2018]

6 hours ago, Trujillo said:

What does the alleged fact that he is a "dad" have to do with anything? 

Normal tabloid pathos ????

[overherebc]

6 hours ago, bobandyson said:

Any Brit who has lived outside of the UK for more than one year would have to wait 6 months before receiving benefits upon returning.

That's from what I've heard.

Yes, and the final test is to crawl through broken glass to the PM's door and plead your case.

[BTB1977]

If he worked for British Airways he should have some kind of a retirement fund? Why not sell off his assets and pull money from savings  to pay the bills?

[Migrosmarket]

3 hours ago, Rancid said:

I don't know, we get a sad story about someone that is obviously going through tough times, and some come on gloating about how they have insurance and tough luck to him as he didn't.

 

We all get lessons in life, he no doubt has had one regarding insurance, presumably many here have never stuffed up. If you did would others laughing at your misfortune help at all?

Is it misfortune or stupidity not to have insurance or cash reserves to cover negative events in ones life? What about his 800k baht (£20k) retirement visa bank balance? Where is that? Or did he try beat the system on that as well.

 

[Scouse123]

If the guy was in poor mental health as is being quoted in various tabloids, the guess is it was a suicide attempt.

 

I do find it rather daft that his family said he didn't get expat insurance as he was ' managing his diabetes well '  There are 101 illnesses and accidents that can befall a person in SE Asia.

 

Health insurance is as essential as food, accommodation and water. To reside out here, at his age, with no health insurance and then for the family to expect others, especially strangers to come to their aid is plain rude.

 

For me, just giving and go fund me pages, are for things like the Burmese two, children who need an operation who live in poverty, people who lose everything through disasters,  and so forth.

 

In effect, people who have never had the opportunity to save funds for their future or their conditions make it impossible. These are the people who need funding.

 

They are not for people who have not taken care of themselves or protected themselves financially and/or medically whilst residing in a foreign country.

[harleyclarkey]

Wow......three weeks in a hospital with 24 hour care, skilled surgery and multiple operations and medications. ..... for £10,000. ??!!

Good job he didn't fall off a balcony in, say, Florida. 

[Nanaplaza666]

People with poor mental health shouldn't be living on the sixt floor . It is written that he fell , who knows maybe he jumped . Sad story . I am always Qeustioning the Go Fundme easy way a bit while the story is saying having friends and family willing to take care of someone when back home it's £15.000 not £150.000 but ok if they REALLY cannot , go for it . Hope for speedy recovery and a bit more luck in live for him after this . 

[olfu]

For some unknown reasons I read often how men falling out from high floors never women.

[KhunFred]

No one seems to be asking the obvious question. How can a desperately poor country like the Philippines provide a healthcare plan that all residents can buy into, but Thailand can't?

[Chongalulu]

6 hours ago, colinneil said:

Where do people get that idea from?

I know 2 Brits who both live in Thailand, went back to the UK, got their problems ( operations done ) then both of them flew back to Thailand.

If you have returned to the uk with the intention of it being permanent and can demonstrate that ,then you get immediate cover. This situation doesn’t cover that qualification- he would have returned for medical treatment,so ineligible.

[cjinchiangrai]

52 minutes ago, harleyclarkey said:

Wow......three weeks in a hospital with 24 hour care, skilled surgery and multiple operations and medications. ..... for £10,000. ??!!

Good job he didn't fall off a balcony in, say, Florida. 

Kind of makes you wonder if $100,000 might be excessive for covid.

[Andrew65]

4 hours ago, IamNoone88 said:

I never ceases to amaze me why people do not buy the insurance they need in a foreign country. You can simply buy cover online these days.

Tick the box next to where it says "I am a diabetic" and see what happens to the premium?!

As our American friends will confirm, anything "pre-existing".

[Sheryl]

1 hour ago, brianthainess said:

So if he has been retired here for 5 yrs what happened to his 800,000 baht?

oh let me guess he used an agent.

He may have been using the income method. As a retired pilot he likely has a good pension.

[Acharn]

This is a rhetorical question, probably been addressed before, but what's with all these people who "fall off" sixth floor balconies? It seems to happen at least once a week, and they usually don't survive. I never had friends who lived in high rise apartments, or tall hotels, but it seems hard to think the rails on their balconies are so low.