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‘Last push’ to get injured English tourist stuck in Thailand hospital back home


webfact

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5 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

‘Thailand' seems to think otherwise which is why officials have been coming up with various ideas to ‘tax’ tourist arrivals / departures so that tourists have insurance. 

 

There was the 300 baht tourist tax - officials attempt to shunt the onus onto the airlines who refused to differentiate between Thai and non-Thai passengers (charging different rates so that this 300 baht was covered in the Ticket) - This can has been kicked down the road for numerous years, the latest ‘deadline’ is for a decision to be made by September for this. 

 

Thailand is also mulling over the 1000 baht departure tax, which would be for everyone. 

Some of this money ‘could’ (is planned?) to go into ‘insurance coffers’ to cover the cost of unpaid medical bills 

Why should I, who never travels without insurance, and also adheres to the small print, have to pay a thousand baht on exit for those who can't be bothered, feel too entitled or immortal, or are simply too stupid as not to do so themselves?

 

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They were quick enough to implement a "show us your vaccine certificate", why can't they implement a "show us your insurance certificate"? No insurance, no entry. Simples.

I can't be totally unsympathetic, but it's hard to really care much about their plight. If you can afford the £700+ flight and all the fun when you get here, you can afford the £100 insurance.

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2 hours ago, JustAnotherHun said:

If he needs continued treatment, then he should stay in the hospital - or fly home, but after his bill is payed.

Double pricing is a completely different thing. and has nothing to do with the topic.

Potentially the subject of double pricing has everything to do with this topic. 
IF there is no double pricing the bill may be less and it may have been paid already rendering this issue of not being able to afford the payment somewhat moot.
 

 

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6 minutes ago, thailand49 said:

Hope you never have to find out the truth dreamer!

If you think Thailand has to be like US or other western countries, you are the dreamer, not me.

It's quite easy. The guy in the topic either had no sufficient insurance or he drove under circumstances that were not covered.

 

So who should have to pay for such a moronic behavior? Thailand? GB? The hospital?

If things are so much better in other countries, idiots like him better should stay there.

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1 minute ago, sabai-dee-man said:

They were quick enough to implement a "show us your vaccine certificate", why can't they implement a "show us your insurance certificate"? No insurance, no entry. Simples.

I can't be totally unsympathetic, but it's hard to really care much about their plight. If you can afford the £700+ flight and all the fun when you get here, you can afford the £100 insurance.

Covid arrivals were a lot less in numbers so the MoPH could keep up with the certification checks.

Checking if every arrival has insurance is a logistical impossibility… 

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1 minute ago, richard_smith237 said:

Potentially the subject of double pricing has everything to do with this topic. 
IF there is no double pricing the bill may be less and it may have been paid already rendering this issue of not being able to afford the payment somewhat moot.
 

 

If ou visit a foreign country it's you who have to inform yourself. Double pricing at hospitals and (nearly) everywhere in Thailand is widely known and easy to find out.

If you don't accept it, don't go there.

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1 minute ago, JustAnotherHun said:

If you think Thailand has to be like US or other western countries, you are the dreamer, not me.

It's quite easy. The guy in the topic either had no sufficient insurance or he drove under circumstances that were not covered.

 

So who should have to pay for such a moronic behavior? Thailand? GB? The hospital?

If things are so much better in other countries, idiots like him better should stay there.

You never made a mistake? …. people are fallible. Many hypocrites on this thread seem to forget that, they also conveniently forget they too were once young and made mistakes….

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3 minutes ago, JustAnotherHun said:

If ou visit a foreign country it's you who have to inform yourself. Double pricing at hospitals and (nearly) everywhere in Thailand is widely known and easy to find out.

If you don't accept it, don't go there.

‘If you don’t like it don’t go’ is not a very intelligent contribution to the issue at hand. 
 

There are plenty of people in Thailand who have been caught out, so clearly there needs to be a better solution rather than the judgement of guys who conveniently forget their own mistakes. 
 

 

Edited by richard_smith237
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5 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

You never made a mistake? …. people are fallible. Many hypocrites on this thread seem to forget that, they also conveniently forget they too were once young and made mistakes….

Oh, I still make plenty and much more when I was young. But I don't think that's the point.

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21 hours ago, webfact said:

was taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital

That's a public hospital.

 

And yet:

 

"The young man is currently alone in a private Phuket hospital"

 

What happened? Did they, without adequate resources, move their relative to a private hospital, deciding they were entitled to better healthcare but without the hassle of paying for it?

 

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6 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

so clearly there needs to be a better solution rather than the judgement of guys who conveniently forget their own mistakes. 

And your solution would be?

"Go to Thailand, behave as moronix as you want and if things go wrong, someone will pay your bill"?

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4 hours ago, cardinalblue said:

The objective is if he is ready for travel and the family has lined up medical travel, then should go asap….

 

He should not be held hostage for bill payment…that is not medical care…

If the hospital is forced/coerced in letting him go without receiving full payment, then the next foreigner in an emergency will not be treated until payment is received upfront (or sufficient guarantees are provided). I don't see how that is a good thing. 

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This is precisely the reason why foreign objects shouldn't be removed from wounds! If they had left the glass shard in his throat he wouldn't have lost nearly as much blood, subsequently he most likely wouldn't have died in the ambulance and wouldn't suffer from post cardiac arrest syndrome now. 

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10 hours ago, TheFishman1 said:

No comment TIT

 

not sure what you mean. this whole tragic situation has arisen because the individual concerned did not have appropriate travel insurance for the activities he participated in. blame lies wholly with the uninsured individual, not the health care provider.

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3 hours ago, JustAnotherHun said:

If ou visit a foreign country it's you who have to inform yourself. Double pricing at hospitals and (nearly) everywhere in Thailand is widely known and easy to find out.

If you don't accept it, don't go there.

If the truth about Thailand was universally known then almost nobody would come.

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18 hours ago, JustAnotherHun said:

What? The Thai hospital is very demanding to be payed because there is no free health care in Thailand for tourists without a sufficient travel insurance?

How dare those Thais!

Gofundme!

I understand where you're coming from but don't you think that Thailand also has some responsibility?  I don't know the details in this case but people who are not eligible for free healthcare shouldn't be allowed to ride/drive/hire/buy bikes or cars without adequate insurance.

 

There are also all sorts of other accidents and illnesses which raises the question of whether Thailand should require foreigners to have insurance or provide some sort of healthcare through a levy as they claimed to be going to do.

 

The country wants tourists but doesn't want to take any responsibility for them - that responsibility could be mitigated if insurance was compulsory.  The country itself has a lax attitude towards insurance - the cover provided by compulsory insurance on motor vehicles is woefully inadequate.  Thai's are no different to other races, many rely only on compulsory insurance because that's all they are legally required to do.

 

I was hit by a taxi in Bangkok many years ago and the taxi driver only had 3rd class insurance - apparently quite legally.  How can a vehicle that can carry 3 or 4 passengers have only 3rd party insurance?? As I say, a lax attitude.

Edited by KhaoYai
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11 hours ago, thailand49 said:

Thailand the Medical Hub $$$$$$$

Don't expect if he makes it into office Harvard education going to change how they treat anyone that isn't Thai especially in medical care all they care about is money! 

Yes, medical hubs are about money. What is your point regarding the topic at hand?

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24 minutes ago, KhaoYai said:

I was hit by a taxi in Bangkok many years ago and the taxi driver only had 3rd class insurance - apparently quite legally. 

It is one thing when there are 2 or more vehicles (or a pedestrian)  involved in an accident.

 

But as I read these topics, many of these accidents involve a  motorcyclist ploughing into a stationary object like a utility pole or a concrete sewer pipe awaiting construction on the side of the road.

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6 hours ago, ukrules said:

If the truth about Thailand was universally known then almost nobody would come.

It's people's fixed beliefs (especially the Brits) that need to change. Most would never accept that a hospital could 'keep you prisoner' or, that in the 21st century, any hospital would do (or not do) anthing that would not be in the best interests of the patient.

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16 hours ago, The Fugitive said:

Those three subjects certainly invite discussion! Having said that some of us want to see simple solutions which would operate to the benefit of all. The right to live and work anywhere (like a Worldwide European Union) would solve two out of three. UK style National Health Service would solve the third.

agree with you on that 

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17 hours ago, JonnyF said:

Big difference between 5,000 Baht++ (you don't state what 'much higher is') and 300,000 Baht for the girl with food poisoning.

 

I spent a whole day at Bumrungrad (possibly the most expensive hospital in Thailand) getting blood tests for about 40 conditions, ECG, stool and urine tests, ultra sound liver check, 30 minutes with a doctor and it was 14,000 Baht.

 

As I said before I did 3 days 2 nights at Camillian hospital following the bike crash, multiple Xray/MRI and meds - 55,000 Baht.

 

Maybe Samui is just ripping tourists off.

That hospital chain in Samui are well known for gouging tourists, they've also got all the ambulances paid off to bring them any farang victims, rather than take them to the gov. hospital, a total scam... 

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