How does treatment work and bed availability if you get severely ill with covid?

[Plexie]

I’m not an expat myself so have no knowledge what’s so ever but a close family member who is a British expat living in Bangkok has recently gotten covid.

I’m trying to understand how things work and currently stand regarding treatment for people who are severely ill with covid in Thailand / Bangkok

Would they just have to go to a public hospital, or do they have an option to get treatment at a private hospital if paying?

Is there actually any difference between public and private hospitals regarding bed availability and quality of treatment for a severely ill person who has covid?

 

Thanks.

 

 

Edited August 26, 2021 by Plexie

[Chomper Higgot]

If an individual has sufficient *health insurance and/or sufficient cash available to cover the costs then they can go to a private (international) hospital.

 

If not they can try getting into a public hospital but have no written right to treatment and may be refused admission.

 

Hospitals in BKK are transporting Thai patients to hospitals in their home provinces to lessen the load on the Capital’s health services.

 

*Aetna who sponsor this forum have written to policy holders to confirm that their policy covers COVID related illness to the value of the policy. Thank you Aetna for clarity on that matter.

 

 

 

 

 

[Aussieroaming]

God speed with your family members recovery

[Plexie]

Thanks for your reply Chomper and thank you for your good wishes Aussieroaming

 

Do you have any information regarding which international hospitals in Bangkok are regarded as the best.

 

Also if the choice was given do you think there would be a difference regarding care and treatment of covid in a public hospital vs private international hospital?

Edited August 27, 2021 by Plexie

[Airalee]

No idea what a government hospital would cost but a friend contracted Covid and spent 2 weeks in Bangkok Hospital (one of the more expensive private hospitals) and his final all inclusive bill was ฿210,000 with no insurance.  No ventilator, so I don’t know how much that would have added to the cost had it been necessary.

 

And yes, he’s obese with cardiovascular health problems fwiw.

[Chomper Higgot]

3 hours ago, Plexie said:

Thanks for your reply Chomper and thank you for your good wishes Aussieroaming

 

Do you have any information regarding which international hospitals in Bangkok are regarded as the best.

 

Also if the choice was given do you think there would be a difference regarding care and treatment of covid in a public hospital vs private international hospital?

I believe Government hospitals in BKK are struggling to deal with COVID case load and would therefore only recommend them as a very last resort.

 

The hospitals I use are Bangkok Hospital and Samitivej Hospital, links below. Yes 

 

 

https://www.bangkokhospital.com/en

 

https://www.samitivejhospitals.com

 

I have received excellent medical treatment from both these hospitals and on each case I have sought a second opinion from one while being treated at the other.

 

I recommend your relative contact whichever hospital s/he chooses earlier rather than later.

[sucher]

7 hours ago, Chomper Higgot said:

I believe Government hospitals in BKK are struggling to deal with COVID case load and would therefore only recommend them as a very last resort.

 

The hospitals I use are Bangkok Hospital and Samitivej Hospital, links below. Yes 

 

 

https://www.bangkokhospital.com/en

 

https://www.samitivejhospitals.com

 

I have received excellent medical treatment from both these hospitals and on each case I have sought a second opinion from one while being treated at the other.

 

I recommend your relative contact whichever hospital s/he chooses earlier rather than later.

 

9 hours ago, Airalee said:

No idea what a government hospital would cost but a friend contracted Covid and spent 2 weeks in Bangkok Hospital (one of the more expensive private hospitals) and his final all inclusive bill was ฿210,000 with no insurance.  No ventilator, so I don’t know how much that would have added to the cost had it been necessary.

 

And yes, he’s obese with cardiovascular health problems fwiw.

That's outrageous. So your Friend was charged 15000 Baht a Day. Makes me angry. Wonder how much the Total for 2 luxurious Weeks of Hospitalization with a Ventilator would come to? 

[Chomper Higgot]

24 minutes ago, sucher said:

 

That's outrageous. So your Friend was charged 15000 Baht a Day. Makes me angry. Wonder how much the Total for 2 luxurious Weeks of Hospitalization with a Ventilator would come to? 

That’s the price and that’s why health insurance is so important.

 

Foreigners living or on holiday in Thailand need either to have health insurance or a significant amount of cash always available to cover health emergencies.

 

For those living here it’s not simply the ‘emergency’ need, but also the long term impacts of avoiding going to the doctor for medical checks and advice for fear of the expense.

 

This particular sub forum is full of ‘Dr/Medical skeptics’ who get their medical ‘advice’ from Dr Internet. I suspect a lack of health insurance is the cause of this behavior.

 

Ironic on a sub forum sponsored by arguably the best health insurance company in Thailand.

 

 

[Airalee]

1 hour ago, sucher said:

 

That's outrageous. So your Friend was charged 15000 Baht a Day. Makes me angry. Wonder how much the Total for 2 luxurious Weeks of Hospitalization with a Ventilator would come to? 

Yes, for Thailand it was certainly not cheap and I’m not sure why he chose one of the most expensive hospitals.  I looked on their website at the room rates and see that a standard room is ฿11,300 and an ICU room is ฿14,800 (including food, nursing and hospital services).  I don’t know which room he chose but it does make one wonder why we are required to have $100,000 USD (฿3,200,000) Covid insurance coverage if coming into Thailand as I can’t see how the cost would ever approach those levels.

[HarrySeaman]

Here is my personal story.

 

On Tuesday August 10 I got a call for a close friend who told me that he had pneumonia, was weak, had fallen down and needed help getting up. I immediately went to help him.  He was unable to fix food and was all but unable to take care of himself.  I did what I could then returned home.

On Wednesday morning I returned to bring him some Ensure so he would at least have some nutrition, and to do what I could.  I also gave him a COVID-19 test and it was positive.

I phoned Bangkok Pattaya, Pattaya Memorial, Pattaya International, and Pattaya City hospitals try to get my friend admitted.  Not a single hospital would take him - none had any beds in their COVID-19 wards available. 

I stayed Wednesday night to continue caring for my friend.  He was obviously getting worse so I tried again to get him into a hospital on Thursday morning.  Again, no hospital in Pattaya would accept him.

Late Thursday afternoon my friend collapsed semi-conscious in the bathroom.  I finally got the emergency contact number, 1669, to send an Emergency Rescue Crew.  They assessed my friends condition and finally were able to get an ambulance to take him to Pattaya City Hospital.

I was extremely impressed by the hospital's emergency room doctor and staff.  They immediately started treatment.  The nurse in charge of the COVID-19 ward also came to speak to me and she was equally impressive.  There were no beds available but they kept my friend in the emergency ward and continued treatment.  Unfortunately it was too late and my friend passed away late Friday afternoon, August 13.  The hospital bill came to just over 122,000 Bt, which was a fraction of what the charge would have been at a private hospital.

 

I will always be grateful to the doctors, nurses, and other staff at Pattaya City Hospital.

 

I tested myself for COVID-19 on that Friday morning and again on the morning of Monday August 16 with negative results both time.  The next morning I woke with a high fever that lasted five days, finally falling to lower levels on Sunday August 22.  The fever has been intermittent since then but is gradually disappearing.

A friend brought me a new COVID-19 test kit and I tested positive on Monday August 23.

While I had a high fever, with all the associated side effects, I was lucky enough that I never became incapacitated and was able to care for myself.

Since a fever is one of the ways the body speeds up the actions of the immune system I only took action to reduce my fever when it exceeded 100.5ºF/38.0ºC.  I used paracetamol, which reduced but didn't ellimate the fever.

The most distressing side effects of the infection and fever were lethargy, weakness, loss of stamina, and a loss of an appetite.  I forced myself to continue necessary actions, especially cooking and eating, but it was very difficult at times.

Since Sunday August 22 I have been slowly recovering with only an occasional small fever.  My strength, stamina, and appetite are returning but I can tell it will be a long time before I regain the strength and stamina I had before.

The irony of the situation is that COVID-19 vaccinations became available in Pattaya during the time I was at my worst, and they are apparently no longer available.

I will remain in isolation for awhile until I am sure that I am not infectious.  At that point I will be signing up for a vaccination myself, whether free of one I have to pay for.

[Mickeymaus]

14 minutes ago, HarrySeaman said:

Here is my personal story.

 

Late Thursday afternoon my friend collapsed semi-conscious in the bathroom.  I finally got the emergency contact number, 1669, to send an Emergency Rescue Crew.  They assessed my friends condition and finally were able to get an ambulance to take him to Pattaya City Hospital.

I was extremely impressed by the hospital's emergency room doctor and staff.  They immediately started treatment.  The nurse in charge of the COVID-19 ward also came to speak to me and she was equally impressive.  There were no beds available but they kept my friend in the emergency ward and continued treatment.  Unfortunately it was too late and my friend passed away late Friday afternoon, August 13.  The hospital bill came to just over 122,000 Bt, which was a fraction of what the charge would have been at a private hospital.

 

I will always be grateful to the doctors, nurses, and other staff at Pattaya City Hospital.

 

Please confirm - the hospital bill in a not private hospital for a couple of hours treatment without success was over 122000 Baht. 

[sucher]

Very justified Question. Yes, please confirm 

[Chomper Higgot]

47 minutes ago, HarrySeaman said:

Here is my personal story.

 

On Tuesday August 10 I got a call for a close friend who told me that he had pneumonia, was weak, had fallen down and needed help getting up. I immediately went to help him.  He was unable to fix food and was all but unable to take care of himself.  I did what I could then returned home.

On Wednesday morning I returned to bring him some Ensure so he would at least have some nutrition, and to do what I could.  I also gave him a COVID-19 test and it was positive.

I phoned Bangkok Pattaya, Pattaya Memorial, Pattaya International, and Pattaya City hospitals try to get my friend admitted.  Not a single hospital would take him - none had any beds in their COVID-19 wards available. 

I stayed Wednesday night to continue caring for my friend.  He was obviously getting worse so I tried again to get him into a hospital on Thursday morning.  Again, no hospital in Pattaya would accept him.

Late Thursday afternoon my friend collapsed semi-conscious in the bathroom.  I finally got the emergency contact number, 1669, to send an Emergency Rescue Crew.  They assessed my friends condition and finally were able to get an ambulance to take him to Pattaya City Hospital.

I was extremely impressed by the hospital's emergency room doctor and staff.  They immediately started treatment.  The nurse in charge of the COVID-19 ward also came to speak to me and she was equally impressive.  There were no beds available but they kept my friend in the emergency ward and continued treatment.  Unfortunately it was too late and my friend passed away late Friday afternoon, August 13.  The hospital bill came to just over 122,000 Bt, which was a fraction of what the charge would have been at a private hospital.

 

I will always be grateful to the doctors, nurses, and other staff at Pattaya City Hospital.

 

I tested myself for COVID-19 on that Friday morning and again on the morning of Monday August 16 with negative results both time.  The next morning I woke with a high fever that lasted five days, finally falling to lower levels on Sunday August 22.  The fever has been intermittent since then but is gradually disappearing.

A friend brought me a new COVID-19 test kit and I tested positive on Monday August 23.

While I had a high fever, with all the associated side effects, I was lucky enough that I never became incapacitated and was able to care for myself.

Since a fever is one of the ways the body speeds up the actions of the immune system I only took action to reduce my fever when it exceeded 100.5ºF/38.0ºC.  I used paracetamol, which reduced but didn't ellimate the fever.

The most distressing side effects of the infection and fever were lethargy, weakness, loss of stamina, and a loss of an appetite.  I forced myself to continue necessary actions, especially cooking and eating, but it was very difficult at times.

Since Sunday August 22 I have been slowly recovering with only an occasional small fever.  My strength, stamina, and appetite are returning but I can tell it will be a long time before I regain the strength and stamina I had before.

The irony of the situation is that COVID-19 vaccinations became available in Pattaya during the time I was at my worst, and they are apparently no longer available.

I will remain in isolation for awhile until I am sure that I am not infectious.  At that point I will be signing up for a vaccination myself, whether free of one I have to pay for.

Hats off to you for helping your friend and sorry to hear he didn’t make it through.

 

Best wishes for your recovery.

[Chomper Higgot]

40 minutes ago, Mickeymaus said:

Please confirm - the hospital bill in a not private hospital for a couple of hours treatment without success was over 122000 Baht. 

That’s not the most important point.

 

Rather it’s the report that Pattaya’s private AND public hospitals have no beds left for COVID patients.

Edited August 28, 2021 by Chomper Higgot

[HarrySeaman]

First, thank your for asking about my recovery.  It is proceeding well with me feeling better every day.

 

I followed the ambulance to Pattaya City Hospital to see that my friend had arrived and to give the doctors any information they needed.  The doctors and nurses were first rate in how they treated my friend.

 

After a few minutes someone from the finance department showed up.  They were adamant about a guarantee that the treatment costs would be paid, just like at any other hospital in Thailand.  I was informed that the cost of a 14 day stay in the COVID-19 ward was 100,000 Bt.  My friend was in no condition to even speak so I took responsibility, guaranteeing payment via a credit card.  I have had the same experience myself of needing to deposit sufficient funds in advance when I had surgery at a private hospital in Bangkok so this didn't come as a surprise.

 

Apparently the 100,000 Bt charge was applied even though my friend never made it to the COVID-19 ward.  The remaining charges were for treatment costs.  I am not concerned about the cost since I'm sure my friend's beneficiary will repay the treatment costs once the will is probated.

 

This system may seem strange and unfair but you but never forget that you are a guest in a foreign country and you must be ready to accept that the treatment of foreigners in Thailand is not the same as the way they treat their own citizens. 

 

From dealing with various hospitals for my Thai wife's medical expenses I know that there is a two level payment system in the government hospitals but they are just as adamant about payment from a Thai as from a foreigner.  Private hospitals are sometimes less expensive for Thais than for foreigners, but you can't count on that.