Public Hospital charges for Thai citizens?

[rockyysdt]

Hi All.

 

My Thai friend has a penchant for Private Hosptials.

Many years ago she had a train accident involving great trauma to her legs.

The doctor at the Public Hospital advised her that both legs needed to be amputated.

 

She refused to sign the authority and demanded to be moved to a Private Hospital.

There they saved one of her legs.

 

Moving forward in time she has an entrenched belief that Public Hospital should be avoided at all costs.

I explained that her earlier experience was an extreme case and on the whole the public system although slower is still worthwhile.

Especially the approx 60 baht fee for Emergency admittance in comparison to the high costs involved with the private system.

 

Which brings me to the point of this post.

 

She recently took a fall and badly hurt the stump of her amputated leg.

 

The people at the Private Hospital advised her that the 60baht fee is limited only to those suffering illness but does not cover accidental injury.

 

Is this true?

 

regards

 

R

 

Edited July 8, 2021 by rockyysdt

[Sheryl]

No it is not true.

 

If it was a motor vehicle accident then it is not covered under the universal care system but rather the mandatory vehicle insurance (with a special fund available for victims of an MVA where the vehicle at fault was uninsured).

 

Any other sort of accident is covered under the universal scheme.

 

BTW it is 30 baht not 60. And some hospitals don't bother to collect it.

[rockyysdt]

On 7/9/2021 at 12:00 AM, Sheryl said:

No it is not true.

 

If it was a motor vehicle accident then it is not covered under the universal care system but rather the mandatory vehicle insurance (with a special fund available for victims of an MVA where the vehicle at fault was uninsured).

 

Any other sort of accident is covered under the universal scheme.

 

BTW it is 30 baht not 60. And some hospitals don't bother to collect it.

Thanks Sheryl.

 

If an MVA is a single vehicle incident (falling off a scooter), and mandatory vehicle insurance hasn't been paid, and the driver was intoxicated, does the victim still have recourse to the special fund available for victims of an MVA?

 

Does the Emergency Public Hospital Department get involved with assisting MVA victims to engage with the mandatory Vehicle Insurance Department, or do they just simply render a bill and leave it up to the victim to know their rights?

 

 

[jackdd]

1 hour ago, rockyysdt said:

If an MVA is a single vehicle incident (falling off a scooter), and mandatory vehicle insurance hasn't been paid, and the driver was intoxicated, does the victim still have recourse to the special fund available for victims of an MVA?

No

1 hour ago, rockyysdt said:

Does the Emergency Public Hospital Department get involved with assisting MVA victims to engage with the mandatory Vehicle Insurance Department, or do they just simply render a bill and leave it up to the victim to know their rights?

The hospital can handle it directly with the RVP, in any case I would just call them on how to proceed: https://www.rvp.co.th/accident_road63_en.php

[Sheryl]

2 hours ago, rockyysdt said:

Thanks Sheryl.

 

If an MVA is a single vehicle incident (falling off a scooter), and mandatory vehicle insurance hasn't been paid, and the driver was intoxicated, does the victim still have recourse to the special fund available for victims of an MVA?

I don't think so and if this was the circumstance, would explain why she was told the universal health cover would not cover it. She's have to pay out of pocket. But cost at a government hospital will be about 1/4 that of a private hospital.

 

 

[rockyysdt]

3 hours ago, Sheryl said:

I don't think so and if this was the circumstance, would explain why she was told the universal health cover would not cover it. She's have to pay out of pocket. But cost at a government hospital will be about 1/4 that of a private hospital.

 

 

Thanks.

 

I was just thinking laterally regarding the MVA issue.

My friend was not intoxicated and she took a fall on her property.

 

The question about MVA's came out of the additional information you posted.

My friends brother broke a leg several years ago on a scooter.

It was unregistered and he was intoxicated.

It cost him 400,000 (or, as it happened, his rice fields).

 

My friend was not recently quoted regarding universal health cover because she went straight to the private hospital.

 

Also, at the moment there is a Covid19 scare in the area.

200 new infections in their town.

Local people are tending to be distancing themselves from the public hospital.

 

The private hospital persuaded my friend to take a vip room.

They said this would give her maximum protection against infection from others.

It was at an allegedly discounted price.

 

Thanks once again for your authoritative advise.

It's very helpful.

 

Also a thank you to jackdd

[jackdd]

1 hour ago, rockyysdt said:

My friends brother broke a leg several years ago on a scooter.

It was unregistered and he was intoxicated.

It cost him 400,000 (or, as it happened, his rice fields).

400k for a broken leg? Such a story is probably made up. It's way more likely that he had 350k gambling debts, and had to pay 50k (probably even less than that) for his broken leg, to not lose face over his debts he said that he sold the land for the hospital costs.

 

1 hour ago, rockyysdt said:

Also, at the moment there is a Covid19 scare in the area.

200 new infections in their town.

Local people are tending to be distancing themselves from the public hospital.

 

The private hospital persuaded my friend to take a vip room.

They said this would give her maximum protection against infection from others.

It was at an allegedly discounted price.

It's possible to get a private/vip room at a government hospital where a Thai receives free treatment, they just have to pay for the room out of their own pocket. (I once looked it up for the government hospital here in Chiang Mai, according to what I found about 1500 Baht per night).

Edited July 10, 2021 by jackdd

[rockyysdt]

1 hour ago, jackdd said:

400k for a broken leg? Such a story is probably made up. It's way more likely that he had 350k gambling debts, and had to pay 50k (probably even less than that) for his broken leg, to not lose face over his debts he said that he sold the land for the hospital costs.

 

It's possible to get a private/vip room at a government hospital where a Thai receives free treatment, they just have to pay for the room out of their own pocket. (I once looked it up for the government hospital here in Chiang Mai, according to what I found about 1500 Baht per night).

After 12 years involvement with this country and through the experiences expressed by many Farang, I understand where you're coming from.

 

What you describe is very possible.

 

However, not everyone is the same.

There are also those with very low IQ who are victims of those who are corrupt, and/or bankrupt of any morals.

They are preyed upon.

 

I have direct knowledge of families who make their money by taking the land from those who have found themselves in a bad financial situation.

 

Although, what you describe is very prevalent, those who don't fit into this mould can be easily tarred with the same brush.

 

To keep this post relevant, my friend has had very bad experience in the public hospital system.

If she allowed it, show would now be living her life with no legs.

If it wasn't for her strength she would now be in a very bad way.

 

You and I know that the Public Hospital system isn't all bad.

But if you had experienced what my friend had to go through, you would understand where she is coming from.

 

Cheers

 

R

Edited July 10, 2021 by rockyysdt

[ChipButty]

As far as I know you can pay for private facilities in a public hospital, was the case with my wife

[Sheryl]

8 hours ago, jackdd said:

400k for a broken leg? Such a story is probably made up. It's way more likely that he had 350k gambling debts, and had to pay 50k (probably even less than that) for his broken leg, to not lose face over his debts he said that he sold the land for the hospital costs.

 

 

400k is entirely possible if (1) he was treated at a private hospital and (2) it required internal fixation (surgery).  Not all fractures can be managed with just a cast.

 

Government hospital, I agree 400K unlikely (though could easily be around 200K if internal fixation needed..the screws, rods etc used are imoorted and very costly).

[rockyysdt]

19 hours ago, Sheryl said:

400k is entirely possible if (1) he was treated at a private hospital and (2) it required internal fixation (surgery).  Not all fractures can be managed with just a cast.

 

Government hospital, I agree 400K unlikely (though could easily be around 200K if internal fixation needed..the screws, rods etc used are imoorted and very costly).

I wasn't involved in his land deal, but I saw the aftermath of his leg surgery.

 

In terms of the amount quoted, my understanding was that his land was worth that much him, rather than the cost of his medical treatment.

 

I don't know about a gambling addiction but he was definitely alcoholic, this being a major factor in his accident.

 

The leg hadn't healed correctly and he ended up needing follow up procedures.

Edited July 11, 2021 by rockyysdt