Cancer treatment at government hospital

[Soup Dragon]

Hello forum.

My long-term partner (not married) was diagnosed with stage 2 lung cancer about 2 weeks ago and is currently undergoing chemo treatment at what I believe to be a government hospital (Vajiralongkorn) in the Rangsit area. It's listed on the Thai Cancer website (thethaicancer) and appears to be a good hospital. After her first (of six scheduled) chemo treatment she went into diabetic shock and spent 4 days on a ventilator in the ICU. Thankfully she's recovered from that and is back on a ward ready for her next chemo. I've been stuck in the UK for the last year because of the Covid thing and will be going to Thailand as soon as I can get my tourist visa (hopefully within the next 6-8 weeks). In the meantime, I'm paying the hospital bills which so far have come to 150,000 baht for 10 days. As the hospital has not allowed me to contact my partner directly (not surprising really when she was in ICU and is still very poorly) I'm getting the information via her teenage son, who is also not allowed direct contact with him his mum, except through passing messages via nursing staff because of Covid measures at the hospital. My question is: do these costs seem reasonable for government cancer treatment for a Thai national? Has anyone on the forum had cancer treatment at a government hospital and know what the costs should be? Before she was admitted to hospital, my partner was offered treatment at Chulalongkorn or Ramathibodi (which I believe are two of the best) but there was a waiting list to get in (I think she said 2 months). I urged her to ask if there was another place where she could start treatment sooner (the place she is now). I'm not too worried about the bill (yet), but don't like the thought that the hospital may be taking advantage of the situation (I hope I'm wrong) as she only has her 14-year-old-son for support at this time. It takes him about 4-5 hours each way on public transport from home in Ratchaburi province to visit the hospital. I will feel better knowing that she is getting the right treatment, at the right government hospital, at the right price.

 

Appreciate any information from forum members with experience in this area.

Thanks and regards.

 

[Sheryl]

Actually Thais can get cancer  treatment free of charge, but to do so they have traditionally had to use the hospital where they are registered under the government health system (which in turn is based on where they are listed in a house registration book) or be referred by it to another one. If she is from Ratchaburi then she is probably registered at a hospital there, which would be either a community (district) or a provincial hospital and in both cases nto have the capacity to treat cancer so need to refer her elsewhere.

 

Starting last month, people covered by the universal health scheme (which is all Thais unless covered already under the social Security scheme) were supposed to now be able to go to any government hospital for cancer treatment without needing a referral letter and be treated under the government system. I have however not heard anything about how this is operating in practice. But her son can all the NHSO office (hotline number 1330; https://www.nhso.go.th/) and ask them.

 

If it emerges that a referral is still required, it would be well worth her son trying to go to the hospital where she is registered and requesting a referral letter. Before doing so, ask at the hospital where she is if they can provide a letter explaining that she is a patient there, her diagnosis etc. If he can't get them to provide this he should still try at the local hospital for a referral letter but it will be much easier to get if he can show proof of her diagnosis and that she has already been admitted to  Maha Vajiralongkorn Cancer Center.

 

What she should have done, as soon as she found out the hospital could admit her soon, was go to her home hospital and get this paperwork, it is harder (but not impossible) to arrange after the fact.

 

Right now she is paying like a private patient, which was avoidable and can probably still be avoided as per above (though there will be no refunding money already paid) . As to whether the costs are reasonable for private pay,yes, given the ICU stay and also that government hospitals are nto known to pad bills or "play games" over costs.

[Soup Dragon]

Thank you so much for your advice Sheryl. I shall advise her son and hopefully he can do this.