Online appeal launched to fly home elderly British man taken seriously ill in Korat

[youreavinalaff]

4 minutes ago, Excel said:

How sad of you.

Why am I sad? I'm saying it how it is. We see many of these stories.

 

Why on earth would anyone live in a foreign country with no money or health insurance and then expect others to pick up the tab?

[mvdf]

Very sad. Value your health and life. Picture yourself 20, 30 or 40 years from now in the same dreadful situation many face far far away from home and family in the midst of this pandemic, financially wanting to top it all of and insurance playing deaf and blind. 

[youreavinalaff]

31 minutes ago, Andrew65 said:

There was a story about a 56 year old British guy on Thai Visa a few months ago who was stuck in a similar way for the want of £10,000. I'd suggest that if he didn't have that much money, he couldn't really afford to be 'retired' in Thailand.

Being Brits, we're not so well versed in health insurance.

I know that once we reach 70 years old it can be hard (or impossible) to get.
Then there's pre-existing conditions.

Good luck to this guy BTW.

Why would you want to wait until 70 to get health insurance?

 

If you have it at a younger age you can continue and often the premiums do not increase greatly.

 

I've had insurance for quite a few years now. Premiums have hardly changed.

[Excel]

Just now, natway09 said:

Help would be at hand here in a Public Hospital or care unit at about the same price as his Brirish Pension & the care is very good.

I would try this option first until he is further recuperated

OK. My thoughts on this are known by my numerous posts on the subject and also my wonderment at the adverse comments people who supposedly come from nations with a history of social care for their fellows. Notwithstanding that  then as other threads have illustrated the care he receives in a government hospital here, whilst perhaps not up to the physical standards elsewhere are certainly no worse or no better then the personal care he receives from the Thai hospital nurse or doctors. He will be looked after irrespective of his nationality.  Caring doctors and nurses are the world over and certainly Thailand is no exception.  However in this instance his daughters want him to be back home in the UK. That is understandable but do not for one minute think that until that happens he will not receive dediciated and loving care from the Thais, he will for certain.

[Excel]

5 minutes ago, youreavinalaff said:

Why am I sad? I'm saying it how it is. We see many of these stories.

 

Why on earth would anyone live in a foreign country with no money or health insurance and then expect others to pick up the tab?

Circumstance beyond peoples control change. Its called life and no one, not even you can predict that

[Salerno]

20 minutes ago, Confuscious said:

Do you have any REAL information on this?

 

1 hour ago, Salerno said:

For example: https://rail.cc/train/singapore-to-london

 

[Neeranam]

8 minutes ago, mvdf said:

Very sad. Value your health and life. Picture yourself 20, 30 or 40 years from now in the same dreadful situation many face far far away from home and family in the midst of this pandemic, financially wanting to top it all of and insurance playing deaf and blind. 

Have to ask why an old man in the final years of his life would leave his children in the UK

[youreavinalaff]

2 minutes ago, Excel said:

Circumstance beyond peoples control change. Its called life and no one, not even you can predict that

No prediction required.

 

He knew he had no insurance. He also would have been aware of his income and is level of savings.

[Old Croc]

2 hours ago, puchooay said:

As soon as his travel insurance expired he was self insuring.

I would describe that as uninsured in his case.

 

For me, self insured means you have the funds to pay for any health emergency with your own money, without wasting it on insurance companies who pay wages, rentals, cars, offices, political bribes, etc. and make large profits at the expense of their clients. 

To self insure is a type of gambling, but the savings can be significant. Like any gamble you must be able to cover losses.

I'm self insured and, if needed, would have no trouble paying the bills this lot are asking others for. (I hope I don't have to, because my legacy would be somewhat diminished.)

[youreavinalaff]

6 minutes ago, Excel said:

That is understandable but do not for one minute think that until that happens he will not receive dediciated and loving care from the Thais, he will for certain.

Likely not true.

 

Even Thais get sent home from hospital when they are sick, with no likely cure and no funds to pay for treatment. I have seen it many times.

[Andrew65]

10 minutes ago, youreavinalaff said:

Why would you want to wait until 70 to get health insurance?

 

If you have it at a younger age you can continue and often the premiums do not increase greatly.

 

I've had insurance for quite a few years now. Premiums have hardly changed.

I didn't say that you would wait until that age, just that this is like a cut-off age, or where it would become prohibitively expensive, for a new customer.

[Excel]

1 minute ago, youreavinalaff said:

Likely not true.

 

Even Thais get sent home from hospital when they are sick, with no likely cure and no funds to pay for treatment. I have seen it many times.

Really ? You must know a lot of sick Thai people. It is just that you must live in a different  100 % Thai environment to where I have lived for decades.

[youreavinalaff]

1 minute ago, Excel said:

Really ? You must know a lot of sick Thai people. It is just that you must live in a different  100 % Thai environment to where I have lived for decades.

Maybe I do but I have seen it. Even my wife's own grandmother was sent home from hospital to die.

 

 

[Excel]

2 minutes ago, youreavinalaff said:

Maybe I do but I have seen it. Even my wife's own grandmother was sent home from hospital to die.

 

 

Well that is sometimes the case when it is considered terminal. It is considered the right thing to do so that that the patient can pass away surrounded by friend and family.  However this is an entirely different situation and he is not currently considered terminally ill so hence will still receive the love and care of Thai Doctors and nurses.

[thaibeachlovers]

2 hours ago, kynikoi said:

This publicity will only push Thai government to start requiring insurance for Non Imms.

Then the Thai government will have to start REQUIRING Thai insurance companies to cover old people at a price they can afford.

[youreavinalaff]

3 minutes ago, Excel said:

Well that is sometimes the case when it is considered terminal. It is considered the right thing to do so that that the patient can pass away surrounded by friend and family.  However this is an entirely different situation and he is not currently considered terminally ill so hence will still receive the love and care of Thai Doctors and nurses.

Up to a point. If he really does not have money, the hospital will already be making plans to get the outstanding bill paid and for him to be discharged. Immigration will get involved, if he is on overstay he will be in trouble again. Then the British Embassy might be called. Then his family will have to find the cash to get him out of hospital and back to UK or into a different hospital. Seen that happen too.

[Gillyflower]

4 hours ago, Denim said:

 

I think the 80,000 baht figure is misleading. This would be for a private jet with nursing staff all the way !!

 

He is shown sitting on a bed.  Could he also sit on a chair or a car seat ?

Could a couple of friends  not take care of the relevant paperwork ( covid check ) then drive him to the airport, get him in a wheelchair and push him to check in on a business class seat ( more room ). Airlines have staff that regularly take non walking passengers to the aircraft and get them seated ( I used to do this when working for BA )

 

I agree the above suggestion is only theoretical but surely the figure ( the very round figure ) represents flying home with the best of everything not just getting the poor man home. As soon as the flight landed in the UK he would be met by airline staff and taken through immigration ( done this hundreds of times for wheelchair bound passengers ) so a cheaper option must surely be possible.

 

When I worked for BA I often had to take such passengers right to the taxi rank and help them into a taxi !!

 

Where there is a will there is a way.

I have had airline staff looking after me all the way from CM to SW France.  They put you on your plane and they come to get you off it and on to the next plane.  They take you through customs and immigration and anything else.  They hand you over to your next airline.  Everything is thought of for you.  All included in the ticket.

[thaibeachlovers]

21 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

Have to ask why an old man in the final years of his life would leave his children in the UK

????????????????

My father went to live in Cyprus, far away from his children, and died there , alone and lonely in a rest home.

[norfolkandchance]

45 minutes ago, Confuscious said:

 

Do you have any REAL information on this?

 

Goggle ‘The man in seat 61’. I doubt the guy would make it

[thaibeachlovers]

2 minutes ago, youreavinalaff said:

Up to a point. If he really does not have money, the hospital will already be making plans to get the outstanding bill paid and for him to be discharged. Immigration will get involved, if he is on overstay he will be in trouble again. Then the British Embassy might be called. Then his family will have to find the cash to get him out of hospital and back to UK or into a different hospital. Seen that happen too.

I doubt the Thai hospital can REQUIRE his family to pay if they choose to not do so, or can't afford it.

[BritManToo]

1 hour ago, Excel said:

And those that don't advise the NHS and still claim that they have received free NHS are either telling porky pies or else committing a fraud against the UK health system.

My government lies to me, I lie to my government.

I think that's fair!

[Excel]

24 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

Have to ask why an old man in the final years of his life would leave his children in the UK

Neeranam, I have a lot of time for you but that question is absurd. This guy is what 30 years + older then his kids whom are probably married and have their own children. You serious expect a man in perhaps his late fifties early sixties, who maybe has already lost his wife to move to another country in his old age for retirement and expect his children and grandchildren  to follow him ?

[youreavinalaff]

2 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I doubt the Thai hospital can REQUIRE his family to pay if they choose to not do so, or can't afford it.

Exactly my point on a previous post. Someone has to pay or the treatment will cease.

[BritManToo]

27 minutes ago, Neeranam said:

Have to ask why an old man in the final years of his life would leave his children in the UK

My children in the UK hate me, and in return I despise them.

I've created more, and nicer, children in Thailand.

Like many of us have done.

[Excel]

2 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

My government lies to me, I lie to my government.

I think that's fair!

I was not making a moral statement, just stating the legal one. And for what its worth I agree with you

[robblok]

10 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Then the Thai government will have to start REQUIRING Thai insurance companies to cover old people at a price they can afford.

So the people who want to be insured should set the premium instead of the market.. wow such unrealistic plans.

 

I think its good the Thai government makes insurance mandatory, you see cases like this quite often and hospitals lose money on foreigners. Its not as if the Thai health system is flush. 

[thaibeachlovers]

4 hours ago, Denim said:

I think the 80,000 baht figure is misleading. This would be for a private jet with nursing staff all the way !!

That's BAHT, not Sterling pounds.

If he can't get a fit to fly certificate the airline would require medical escort/ equipment, which is where it gets expensive. Thai Air always reserved the last 3 rows on one side in case they had to carry a medical case. Those seats couldn't be booked in advance, but if no case I could get one if I went to airport early enough.

[scubascuba3]

1 minute ago, robblok said:

So the people who want to be insured should set the premium instead of the market.. wow such unrealistic plans.

 

I think its good the Thai government makes insurance mandatory, you see cases like this quite often and hospitals lose money on foreigners. Its not as if the Thai health system is flush. 

Mandatory insurance where they exclude things you may claim on is useless

[Lacessit]

7 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Then the Thai government will have to start REQUIRING Thai insurance companies to cover old people at a price they can afford.

Insurance companies have employees called actuaries. They determine the level of risk to an insurance company from all contingencies.

If an insurance company received such an instruction from the Thai government to provide such affordable insurance to people in their 70's and 80's, the actuaries would scream bloody murder.

The Thai government has not exhibited a great deal of solicitude to foreigners in the past, why would they start now?

[thaibeachlovers]

3 minutes ago, youreavinalaff said:

Exactly my point on a previous post. Someone has to pay or the treatment will cease.

I understand that even if the patient wants to be allowed to go home to die the hospital will not release them, or discontinue life support. Tell me if that is wrong.