What is it with Thais and Hospitals?

[actonion]

My Thai sister inlaw, lives in a village in Issan , she is a Thai registered nurse, she has now opened her own clinic,  and dishes out medications daily  from which she brags  a good income,  giving my wife  antibiotics to fight Covid !!,  & handfuls of pills  for the common cold

[Lucky Bones]

It is all bumped down the ranks.

If your doctor says take these 25 pills, it is likely because his/her doctor told him to take these 25 pills.

If your parents throw a plastic bag on the ground or put 3 teaspoons of sugar in your noodles you are likely to do the same.

Yeah. Hospital seems to be a badge of honour.

Edited September 9, 2022 by Lucky Bones

[Greenside]

2 hours ago, jcmj said:

Well for me it’s pretty straight forward. Most health policies do not cover outpatient treatment or clinics. So it’s cheaper and better to see your doctor late in the day have them run tests and stay the night and run more tests in the morning. If everything is clear get discharged and your insurance will pick up the bill. If not you’re in good hands(hopefully) I’d do the same thing. No reason to be paying for insurance if you’re not going to get the benefits. Obviously everyone has their own opinions as to why and when to go, but it’s not really any of your concern. So let them be. 

Spot on.  The cost of insurance that covers outpatient treatment is disproportionally high and so there is an incentive to both the patient and the hospital to be admitted if it looks feasible to claim.  Insurers are savvy to this and vet the hospital bills ruthlessly before agreeing the payment - many (most?) hospitals won't let you leave until the insurer confirms it's okay and it can sometimes take several hours - just what you don't need when you're eager to get home.

[sandyf]

17 hours ago, bob smith said:

when I was a kid i can count on one hand the amount of times I visited a hospital.

here it's like a family day out, oh i've got a cough lets go to the hospital.

I have to assume you are not very familiar with Thai government hospitals. If you want to see a doctor you visit the hospital outpatients department, a bit like going to a GP in the UK, and I have seen many of those full of kids with a runny nose.

I go to the hospital every 3 months to get new prescription, usually about 30 to 40 patients in the waiting room.

[Denim]

Since there are no GP surgery's in Thailand the first stop for medical advice is the nearest hospital which is where they find the doctors. So not really surprising that hospitals are busy.

 

Having said that , as someone else has mentioned , if one person goes the whole clan will go, uncle Tom Cobley and all. Just something different to do to relieve the boredom of normal routines.

 

Most common Thai phrases : ' Pai nai ? '  ....' Pai dooay '

[Sparktrader]

17 hours ago, bob smith said:

why do thai people seem to check into a hospital for even a cough or a sneeze?

Dont know any Thais that do that. You must mix with the wrong types.

[AsianAtHeart]

51 minutes ago, AgMech Cowboy said:

I think this can be applied to most of the above post. 

 

Thais go to the hospital because it's the only place they can use their government medical policy and in the case of my wife and son, who have private insurance, inpatient care is covered, out patient care and prescriptions are not.

If people only knew the truth about the harmful effects of most of those drugs, they wouldn't want to take them even if they were prescribed by a Ph.D. and given them for free.  And if they only knew that simple changes in their lifestyle and their diet, combined with natural remedies which are very inexpensive and which promote health, could eliminate their need of seeking government medical care, they would be far better off.  But they do not know.  But, as a doctor in my family used to say: "They don't know they don't know."

[Tropposurfer]

Alas "ignorance" is not the sole privy of Thai's

[ColeBOzbourne]

17 hours ago, bob smith said:

why do thai people seem to check into a hospital for even a cough or a sneeze?

A different culture's way of thinking maybe? Kind of like sidewalks are not reserved only for pedestrians. Hospitals are not exclusively for emergencies. 

[IvorBiggun2]

1 hour ago, AgMech Cowboy said:

government medical policy

What is a 'government medical policy?

[IvorBiggun2]

15 minutes ago, Denim said:

if one person goes the whole clan will go

Only if the person with the medical problem is admitted. Not done otherwise.

[Ralf001]

5 minutes ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

What is a 'government medical policy?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Coverage_(Thailand)

[hotchilli]

17 hours ago, bob smith said:

can anyone shed some light on this matter? is it cultural? 

They have a different system to most countries in the west..

In my country of birth we had a local clinic to which you were registered, that was your first point of contact with a doctor, if they thought you needed hospital treatment then the made the appropriate appointment for you.

Hospital visit was for emergencies only.

 

[NoshowJones]

18 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

I noticed this too, if i have any slight symptom of anything thai bird friend will say go hospital

My wife is the exact same, even when I am lying down just for a rest, she will say to me, you not well, I take you to hospital.

[stereolab]

3 hours ago, itsari said:

A nation of hypochondriacs I guess .

 

Yes indeed, and they seem to revel in the Covid 19 requirements.

[foreverlomsak]

18 hours ago, Gaccha said:

but I suspect they'd attend a clinic.

Most if not all state hospitals run a "clinic", and also there are also clinics in local areas for them to go to.

[Photoguy21]

I think they caught it from the USA who as we all know take tablets for anything and everything. The Arabs are similar, if they go to a doctor or hospital and come away with a bag full of tablets they are happy.

[NoshowJones]

1 hour ago, Denim said:

Since there are no GP surgery's in Thailand the first stop for medical advice is the nearest hospital which is where they find the doctors. So not really surprising that hospitals are busy.

 

Having said that , as someone else has mentioned , if one person goes the whole clan will go, uncle Tom Cobley and all. Just something different to do to relieve the boredom of normal routines.

 

Most common Thai phrases : ' Pai nai ? '  ....' Pai dooay '

 

"Since there are no GP surgery's in Thailand" But there are, there is one in my village, and three in the next town as well as a public hospital in both.

[IvorBiggun2]

54 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Coverage_(Thailand)

Wow. You got it wrong and what about the other statements you put your name to.? You know nothing as you've shown yourself to be.

 

Quote

Definition of a clinic please. Definition of a persons nominated hospital please. Definition of social security please.

 

[Cake Monster]

18 hours ago, KannikaP said:

And if multiple meds are not prescribed, they feel cheated.

And most of those Meds are never taken, and just wasted

I know of so many who have Prescription Drugs for all kinds of ailments, and they just ignore the Doctors advice and refuse to take the Meds prescribed.

Strange !

[lopburi3]

2 minutes ago, Cake Monster said:

And most of those Meds are never taken, and just wasted

I know of so many who have Prescription Drugs for all kinds of ailments, and they just ignore the Doctors advice and refuse to take the Meds prescribed.

Strange !

Most have reasons they are not taking - adverse reactions to feeling better.  And in the case of clinic dispensed medications - may be for the best.  There are some very dangerous drugs handed out willy-nilly.

[Ralf001]

16 minutes ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

Wow. You got it wrong and what about the other statements you put your name to.? You know nothing as you've shown yourself to be.

 

 

Employed people have social security.

I have social security, I get free health care, at the hospital I nominate as my "local" hospital.

Social security does not cover me to attend any government hospital and definitely not any clinic private or public.

 

Which part of my post is wrong ?

 

Time for you to climb down off your high horse and educate yourself on Thailand social security.

Edited September 9, 2022 by Ralf001

[wolf81]

49 minutes ago, foreverlomsak said:

Most if not all state hospitals run a "clinic", and also there are also clinics in local areas for them to go to.

And many doctors (and some nurses probably) run a clinic or pharmacy as side business. I know the lady that delivered our daughter has a children's clinic that she works at, after finishing her work at the government hospital. 

 

It's probably great business. Many parents that had their babies delivered by her will probably visit her clinic when the child is sick. We do this anyways. Clinic provides quicker service than the hospital, so we prefer to visit her clinic if it's no emergency (since clinic opens every day 16:30 or so).

Edited September 9, 2022 by wolf81

[scorecard]

19 hours ago, scubascuba3 said:

I noticed this too, if i have any slight symptom of anything thai bird friend will say go hospital

Easy to answer, people don't go yo local shop front clinics. Could be many reasons for this, one reason is that there's a long/big history of fake doctors in these clinics. 

 

One personal experience, about 30 years ago, I needed a medical report to get my first work permit. My Thai work colleague (speaks English) mentioned there was a small clinic just down the street and he took me there. No other customers, straight into the dosctors' room, no equipment, in Thai he said 'yes I can give the farang a medical report' and he quoted a very cheap fee.

 

The Dr. said in Thai something like  '2 arms and 2 legs you pass. Three or 4 minutes laterall done/all paid and we walked out of his office.

 

Back at my work office my colleague then mentioned that there's many fake doctors across Bkk and he was suspicious, he called a govt' agency which proved there was no such registered Dr.

 

Our admin lady said 'never mind, I will take you to the Labour office today'. We did that, the labour guy quickly scanned the various documents (not hi-tech scan), nothing actually checked, WP approved.

 

My Thai wife (sadly now passed on was a Dr. of medicine (all of her medical studies in Australia), she worked out of several respected Thai hospitals. She mentioned many times about fake doctors in small clinics and mentioned that the Thai public is well aware there are many fake 'doctors' at small clinics.

 

She also mentioned that Thai hospitals are much serious/thorough about completely checking credentials and proving that Dr. candidates were properly qualified/experienced. In those days often including hand written letters/telephone calls to other countries/university medical schools etc., abroad. 

[IvorBiggun2]

41 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

Time for you to climb down off your high horse and educate yourself on Thailand social security.

My apologies. I thought we were discussing Thais and government hospitals.

[yardrunner]

perhaps the problem is that their is no system of GPs in Thailand. in the UK and i believe in the USA you visit the GP and if they think it necessary they will refer you to hospital. Here you go straight to the hospital to see a doctor or you go to a clinic and if you dont like what the doctor at the clinic says or the tablets dont work you just go to the hospital. Or the doctor at the clinic advises you to go to the hospital but there is no proper system of referrals from the clinics to the hospitals.

[bob smith]

This post was not meant to be about the fact that they visit hospitals because there are no GP. its about why are they so easy to see a dr in the first place, regardless of their ailment.

i mean a stubbed toe is hardly a valid reason to go see a quack but here they expect you to be on a drip for it and sleep in over night!

 

its madness.

[Ralf001]

37 minutes ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

My apologies. I thought we were discussing Thais and government hospitals.

people employed in Thailand have access to social security.. which give them free/cheap access to a government hospital.

 

What exactly are you struggling to understand ?

[thailand49]

For me is comes down as noted by another it is education the most basic is missing.  

Those who can't afford the time or poor go to local pharmacy as if they are clinics to get meds,  the next step up Clinics same more meds, If they can afford the time hospital same more meds, private hospital same more meds but not so much generic any opportunity oh you should stay overnight for pro-caution $$$$ they believe better the facilities better Doctors and treatment? 

Home any major City there are medical buildings with hundreds of Doctors operating independently in conjunctions with hospital specializing from A-Z. 

I have s cold or fever home take one pill here I need a shopping cart?

[ThailandRyan]

8 minutes ago, bob smith said:

This post was not meant to be about the fact that they visit hospitals because there are no GP. its about why are they so easy to see a dr in the first place, regardless of their ailment.

i mean a stubbed toe is hardly a valid reason to go see a quack but here they expect you to be on a drip for it and sleep in over night!

 

its madness.

30 baht scheme makes it cheap for them