Horrible Hospital Care

[qualtrough]

Just read this story of a horrible hospital experience:

A 43-year-old mother of three had been released from the emergency room hours earlier, her third visit in three days for abdominal pain. She'd been given prescription medication and a doctor's appointment.

The nurse said, "You have already been seen, and there is nothing we can do”

Parked in the emergency room lobby in a wheelchair she fell to the floor in a fetal position, screaming in pain for 45 minutes, as staffers worked at their desks and numerous patients looked on. The emergency room nurse, "did not show any concern" according to later reports.

Aside from one patient who briefly checked on her condition, no one helped her. A cleaning lady cleaned the floor around her as if she were a piece of furniture. A closed-circuit camera captured everyone's apparent indifference.

Her boyfriend unsuccessfully tried to enlist help from the medical staff and police — even a 191 dispatcher, who balked at sending rescuers to a hospital.

Alerted to the "disturbance" in the lobby, police stepped in and prepared to take her to jail. She died before she could be put into the police pickup.

Much of this was caught on videotape, and one observer said, "If this woman was in pain, which she appears to be, if she was writhing in pain, which she appears to be, why did nobody bother … to take the most minimal interest in her? It's just shocking. It really is."

I hope anyone considering living here will think twice after reading this. What kind of people would just stand around like that??

Oh wait, this happened in Los Angeles.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-ki...=la-home-center

So what's my point? A lot of forum members seize on any bad news or bad experience here to paint all Thais or all of Thailand the same. If this story had indeed happened in Thailand you can bet your bottom dollar that this topic would soon be 15 pages of comments about how Thais are some kind of smiling two-faced money-grubbing subhuman species and that you would have to be crazy to live here. Not a day goes by without seeing posts like that. Thailand is indeed not perfect, but some of us forget that where we come from is not perfect either, sometimes in a big way. It is one thing to register a gripe or legitimate complaint, and another thing altogether to assume that all Thais are to blame, or that they all exhibit the same behavior.

P.S. I edited the story to swap Thai usage for US-specific language. The news story is much longer and defies believe.

[JimmyTheMook]

Do You Work For Bangkok Pattaya Hospital ?

Just read this story of a horrible hospital experience:

A 43-year-old mother of three had been released from the emergency room hours earlier, her third visit in three days for abdominal pain. She'd been given prescription medication and a doctor's appointment.

The nurse said, "You have already been seen, and there is nothing we can do"

Parked in the emergency room lobby in a wheelchair she fell to the floor in a fetal position, screaming in pain for 45 minutes, as staffers worked at their desks and numerous patients looked on. The emergency room nurse, "did not show any concern" according to later reports.

Aside from one patient who briefly checked on her condition, no one helped her. A cleaning lady cleaned the floor around her as if she were a piece of furniture. A closed-circuit camera captured everyone's apparent indifference.

Her boyfriend unsuccessfully tried to enlist help from the medical staff and police — even a 191 dispatcher, who balked at sending rescuers to a hospital.

Alerted to the "disturbance" in the lobby, police stepped in and prepared to take her to jail. She died before she could be put into the police pickup.

Much of this was caught on videotape, and one observer said, "If this woman was in pain, which she appears to be, if she was writhing in pain, which she appears to be, why did nobody bother … to take the most minimal interest in her? It's just shocking. It really is."

I hope anyone considering living here will think twice after reading this. What kind of people would just stand around like that??

Oh wait, this happened in Los Angeles.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-ki...=la-home-center

So what's my point? A lot of forum members seize on any bad news or bad experience here to paint all Thais or all of Thailand the same. If this story had indeed happened in Thailand you can bet your bottom dollar that this topic would soon be 15 pages of comments about how Thais are some kind of smiling two-faced money-grubbing subhuman species and that you would have to be crazy to live here. Not a day goes by without seeing posts like that. Thailand is indeed not perfect, but some of us forget that where we come from is not perfect either, sometimes in a big way. It is one thing to register a gripe or legitimate complaint, and another thing altogether to assume that all Thais are to blame, or that they all exhibit the same behavior.

P.S. I edited the story to swap Thai usage for US-specific language. The news story is much longer and defies believe.

[Maigo6]

For sure if this had happened in Thailand there would have been the usual suspects typing out yet more Anti Thai rubbish, as it happened in USA, I doubt people here would be stating that ALL Americans are heartless and ALL American hospitals are money grabbing businesses only interested in the Dollar.

Too many Farangs here seem to think whatever happens to them in Thailand , only happens because they are Farang, the fact that the same things happen to countless Thai people, escapes them.

Some Farangs complain like crazy cos they are stopped in Pattaya without wearing a Crash Helmet on a motorcycle, they claim the Police are after Farangs to extort money, in reality, the ammount of Farangs that get stopped is very small compared with the ammount of Thai people that are stopped.

Would the Thais claim they are only being stopped at police checkpoints just because they are Thai?

Edited May 21, 2007 by Maigo6

[a2396]

I also read this article in yesterdays LA Times. It is just one of many disgusting and outrageous accounts of the sorry state of health care in USA and it continues to slide downhill. Sadly the government cares little or nothing about the poor unfortunate citizens who are victims to this system. They (the governemt) have been powerless for 30 years to do something to fix it.

Thailand has at least done someting to make basic healthcare available to citizens at a reasonable cost.

[Tod Daniels]

I am all too concerned over the quality of our health care and the system as a whole in the USA. In a recent study we were ranked at the bottom of first world countries for quality, affordability and efficiency.

As long as insurance companies run the health care system; controlling treatment fees, and pharmaceutical lobbies control the drug pricing, we will continue to see travesties like this happen.

I am and always will be proud to be an American. Unfortunately some things in America do cause me consternation.

[qualtrough]

Do You Work For Bangkok Pattaya Hospital ?

Just read this story of a horrible hospital experience:

A 43-year-old mother of three had been released from the emergency room hours earlier, her third visit in three days for abdominal pain. She'd been given prescription medication and a doctor's appointment.

The nurse said, "You have already been seen, and there is nothing we can do"

Parked in the emergency room lobby in a wheelchair she fell to the floor in a fetal position, screaming in pain for 45 minutes, as staffers worked at their desks and numerous patients looked on. The emergency room nurse, "did not show any concern" according to later reports.

Aside from one patient who briefly checked on her condition, no one helped her. A cleaning lady cleaned the floor around her as if she were a piece of furniture. A closed-circuit camera captured everyone's apparent indifference.

Her boyfriend unsuccessfully tried to enlist help from the medical staff and police — even a 191 dispatcher, who balked at sending rescuers to a hospital.

Alerted to the "disturbance" in the lobby, police stepped in and prepared to take her to jail. She died before she could be put into the police pickup.

Much of this was caught on videotape, and one observer said, "If this woman was in pain, which she appears to be, if she was writhing in pain, which she appears to be, why did nobody bother … to take the most minimal interest in her? It's just shocking. It really is."

I hope anyone considering living here will think twice after reading this. What kind of people would just stand around like that??

Oh wait, this happened in Los Angeles.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-ki...=la-home-center

So what's my point? A lot of forum members seize on any bad news or bad experience here to paint all Thais or all of Thailand the same. If this story had indeed happened in Thailand you can bet your bottom dollar that this topic would soon be 15 pages of comments about how Thais are some kind of smiling two-faced money-grubbing subhuman species and that you would have to be crazy to live here. Not a day goes by without seeing posts like that. Thailand is indeed not perfect, but some of us forget that where we come from is not perfect either, sometimes in a big way. It is one thing to register a gripe or legitimate complaint, and another thing altogether to assume that all Thais are to blame, or that they all exhibit the same behavior.

P.S. I edited the story to swap Thai usage for US-specific language. The news story is much longer and defies believe.

No need to shout Jimmy. I have zero connection whatsoever with that hospital, the health care industry-- here or anywhere, the tourism industry, or even Pattaya. Not defending BPH at all, it sounds pretty bad, just pointing out that knee-jerk condemnations here are unwarranted, and that the quality of medical treatment can vary in Thailand just as it can in the USA and elsewhere.

Edited May 21, 2007 by qualtrough

[Fred Sanford]

LA Times media hype.

YAWN

[Travel2003]

Seems to me this is the classic nobody wants to be involved in a scene here.

Do not make any scenes! This is the first thing we learn when arriving here.

Well, after the words "mai pen rai", and "farang" maybe.

Remember the 2 ambulance teams about 2 weeks ago that actually started to fight over a patient who died on the spot?

Yes, they made a scene. But it was about money.

The police had to split the 2 fighting amulance teams.

Btw, I do not look forward to the day I get sick, and need an ambulance during the rush hours here in BKK.

Of course, all the above I believe can also happen in the so called western countries.

rgds

Sailor

[Flysiam]

Let me get this right......

The OP is generally upset at the perceived 'Thai bashing' that he/she ses onTV so...... lets bash farangs/the US ... and that makes it OK!!!!

Bigotry and racism can go both ways and it doesn't make it any more right or pleasant. I hate seeing it either way ... so OP - welcome to their club. You may have just lowered yourself to their level - or lower. Did it make you feel better?

[qualtrough]

LA Times media hype.

YAWN

Yeah, why don't they report something important like the number of schools repainted in Iraq? Now there's some real news!

[qualtrough]

Let me get this right......

The OP is generally upset at the perceived 'Thai bashing' that he/she ses onTV so...... lets bash farangs/the US ... and that makes it OK!!!!

Bigotry and racism can go both ways and it doesn't make it any more right or pleasant. I hate seeing it either way ... so OP - welcome to their club. You may have just lowered yourself to their level - or lower. Did it make you feel better?

Thanks for asking, but no, you didn't get it right. Let me summarize my explanation for the post (the part that begins "So what's my point?"), since you obviously didn't get it: It is no more fair to use negative stories to blame all Thais or all Thailand than it would be to blame all Americans on the basis of this incident. Do you get it now? Most of the posters so far did.

[endure]

As the original newspaper article quoted has nothing to do with Thailand and it's degenerating into another playground brawl it's closed.