Thailand's healthcare system ranked among best in the world

[brianthainess]

On 10/17/2021 at 9:21 AM, Pravda said:

How many Thai people have regular checkups like mammograms, colonoscopy, blood tests and other preventive procedures that are pretty much normal and free in civilized countries?

 

Or simply, how about that covid vaccine?

 

 

Just to note in civilized countries health care is not 'Free'   But most people pay taxes and national insurance unlike Thailand. People selling from mobile 'shops' M/C sidecars, car workshops, etc etc. do not pay any tax, even though they can earn more than say a bank manager.

[473geo]

46 minutes ago, newnative said:

   It might be a 35 baht health care system for something minor but it certainly isn't when major health care issues are being dealt with--at least in Bangkok.  As I mentioned in an earlier post, it was over 2MB for my Thai partner's grandmother.

While I sympathize with your family as you state they had no alternative but to go private, and in BKK, there are hundreds of thousands who do get the service and care they require in the government system.

[Pravda]

55 minutes ago, 473geo said:

While I sympathize with your family as you state they had no alternative but to go private, and in BKK, there are hundreds of thousands who do get the service and care they require in the government system.

Simply not true

[Pravda]

1 hour ago, brianthainess said:

Just to note in civilized countries health care is not 'Free'   But most people pay taxes and national insurance unlike Thailand. People selling from mobile 'shops' M/C sidecars, car workshops, etc etc. do not pay any tax, even though they can earn more than say a bank manager.

 

I think everyone is aware that healthcare is not free. The difference is that even if you don't work and didn't even contribute 1 cent in taxes the healthcare is still free. One could even argue that poor get much better benefits than middle class.

[473geo]

45 minutes ago, Pravda said:

Simply not true

Well that is amazing because we have many people posting how full and busy the government hospitals are, even complaining about the wait time! 

I can think of at least 15 occasions when government hospitals have been required for my immediate family. Births being 50% of that ????

[anchadian]

Thailand's Quality Healthcare Facilities and Booming Medical Tourism will Drive the Revenue for Pharmacy Retail Chains over Long Term: Ken Research

 

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/thailands-quality-healthcare-facilities-booming-064000921.html

[Pravda]

Funny thing is every time a Brit falls off his motorbike the begging family sets up a GoFundMe campaign so he can be flown back to mother NHS.

 

I've never seen a Thai student  in UK begging to be taken to Thailand for treatment.

[BritManToo]

1 minute ago, Pravda said:

Funny thing is every time a Brit falls off his motorbike the begging family sets up a GoFundMe campaign so he can be flown back to mother NHS.

 

I've never seen a Thai student  in UK begging to be taken to Thailand for treatment.

Most white foreigners appear too frightened to mix with Thais at the Thai government hospital.

I can't understand everyone wanting to throw money away on private 'double price' hospitals.

[Dogmatix]

A survey that places Thailand just below Finland and above Norway, New Zealand is obviously complete and utter nonsense.  There are many treatments unavailable on Universal Healthcare and Social Security and the government allows price gouging by private hospitals that massively overcharge for most prescriptions that they are permitted to fulfill from their own pharmacies without giving the patient the option of buying from an external pharmacy, as is required in developed countries.  Preventative medicine is not provided by UHS or SS at all. 

 

Everyone has horror stories of Thai hospitals. Maid took 3 year old grandson to a government hospital in Bkk at midnight with fever and in a bad way before COVID.  Nurse put the boy in a cold bath to cool him down, gave him a paracetamol and said there was no doctor on duty, so he would have to wait till sometime the next day to see a doctor but there were no beds. A low grade private hospital that is part of the SS scheme wanted a 10k deposit to even look at the boy.  So they brought him home.  Luckily he recovered. Current maid's teenage daughter living in Ubon had sever fever and breathing difficulties after first Pfizer shot.  All hosptals in the area refused to take her as they were full. A friend's Thai brother-in-law died in Buriram for want of a drug unavailable on the UCS.  My friend did his research and asked the doctor why the drug was not prescribed.  He was told patients had to pay for it, so they didn't bother to mention it to families who looked they couldn't afford it and just let the guy die.  The doctor said he didn't know before it was too late the patient had a farang brother-in-law willing to pay or he wouldn't have mentioned the drug. 

 

I am sure anyone who has been in country for some time can add to these horror stories.  Another important point to consider is that both government and private medical facilities are disproportionately concentrated in Bangkok and larger cities which also have heavy concentrations of doctors specialising in unnecessary cosmetic surgery.  Rural folk have to make do with a very poor level of healthcare.  It is much better than it was before UCS was introduced but still nowhere near the level of Norway, NZ, Germany or any othe first world country. 

[zzaa09]

42 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Most white foreigners appear too frightened to mix with Thais at the Thai government hospital.

I can't understand everyone wanting to throw money away on private 'double price' hospitals.

Traditional Oriental Cooties - wouldn't want to mix with the unwashed and backward savages, as you never know what kind of odd and mysteries diseases that they might be carrying. ????

[LittleBear57]

8 hours ago, jacko45k said:

You make it sound like a coin toss as to whether you will get good, or potentially life threatening treatment!

Perhaps that is what it is, some hospitals just don't have the resources, some are ill equipped and perhaps some don't provide a service as good as they should.

 

[BritManToo]

3 hours ago, sandyf said:

I was brought up in a Britain you could be proud of,

You must be considerably older than me .......

I was brought up in the Britain of miners strikes and the 3 day week.

Not to mention that 'there will be rivers of blood' racist chappie.

 

I didn't see anything in Britain to be proud about .......... ever!

[Rimmer]

Off topic posts trying to hijack the topic with discussion of UK job opportunities and Gordon Brown have been removed, also a personal attack, all been removed

[jomtienisgood]

On 10/17/2021 at 9:16 AM, ezzra said:

Yeah right among the best in the world.. good one to start the day a joke...

I was gonna say " What a BIG joke.... "

[jomtienisgood]

23 hours ago, BritManToo said:

You must be considerably older than me .......

I was brought up in the Britain of miners strikes and the 3 day week.

Not to mention that 'there will be rivers of blood' racist chappie.

 

I didn't see anything in Britain to be proud about .......... ever!

HP Sauce??? lol

[Chris.B]

On 10/18/2021 at 4:24 PM, Pravda said:

Funny thing is every time a Brit falls off his motorbike the begging family sets up a GoFundMe campaign so he can be flown back to mother NHS.

 

I've never seen a Thai student  in UK begging to be taken to Thailand for treatment.

That's because foreigners in the UK are entitled to free emergency treatment under the NHS.