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

[save the frogs]

6 hours ago, Pedrogaz said:

I've been here long enough to have seen many of these irresponsible and foolish individuals on motorbikes

Bali wants to make a law to forbid foreign tourists from renting motorbikes because they are too reckless.

Maybe Thailand should do the same. 

 

[Andrew65]

12 minutes ago, save the frogs said:

Bali wants to make a law to forbid foreign tourists from renting motorbikes because they are too reckless.

Maybe Thailand should do the same. 

 

I believe that Hanoi, Vn is going to ban motorbikes altogether at some stage (crossing the road in Saigon (HCMC) is certainly a surreal experience!).

[KhaoYai]

12 hours ago, The Fugitive said:

You've hit the nail on the head here! Certainly for RTA's and also for such as falling off balconies when heavily intoxicated. As far as I can see, the only solution would be free universal A/E plus all necessary follow-up treatment. Cannot see that happening and many would argue why should it?

The point is, these things will continue to happen - especially when people are on holiday. That is why I said earlier that the Thai state bears some responsibility in these matters.  They want tourism so they have to accept that a lot of people won't get proper travel insurance unless its compulsory.  Even then, people will continue to do things that their insurance won't cover.

 

That could be mitigated to some extent by making sure that hire vehicles are properly covered but there are many other types of accidents or illnesses that require treatment. Instead of whinging about tourists having accidents and doing stupid things, the only way to make sure that people are taken care of and the hospitals get paid is:

 

1. To introduce a levy on all tourists that covers the bills of the unfortunate and the stupid.

2. To make sure that such people are treated by establishments that don't overcharge.

 

However, it would have to be a proper levy with all contributions used as intended not just another 'cash cow' for the Thai government/corrupt officials.

 

People here talk about the UK's NHS as if its free - its not.  The NHS is paid for by contributions and taxes such as National Insurance.  What it does however, is to provide medical treatment for all, not just those who can afford it.  I have good travel insurance that covers me for most things I'm likely to do in Thailand but I wouldn't mind paying say 1000 baht so total cover could be provided for others.  That cover would also apply to me if I did something that was outside of the scope of my travel insurance.

 

Having people in hospital, racking up biils that they can never afford is a ridiculous state of affairs.  Then don't do stupid things I hear you say, well that's easy to say and what about illness? None of us plan to get ill whilst on holiday but it happens.

 

Thailand needs to accept that accidents and illnesses are always going to affect non-residents and do something about it. Whining and whinging about it is not going to solve the problem.

 

I doubt that there are many of us that haven't done something stupid/risky whilst on holiday - maybe in the past but we have still all done it.  I've heard that some travel insurance doesn't cover Jet Ski's by way of example. How many of us with that sort of cover would turn down a chance to Jet Ski when it wasn't planned but a friend offered it? The likelyhood is that most would say yes and believe that nothing would happen to them.

 

Thailand can't have its cake and eat it.  They can't expect everyone to buy travel insurance when its not complusory and in any case, such insurance never covers everything.

Edited May 28, 2023 by KhaoYai

[Andrew65]

14 minutes ago, KhaoYai said:

The point is, these things will continue to happen - especially when people are on holiday. That is why I said earlier that the Thai state bears some responsibility in these matters.  They want tourism so they have to accept that a lot of people won't get proper travel insurance unless its compulsory.  Even then, people will continue to do things that their insurance won't cover.

 

That could be mitigated to some extent by making sure that hire vehicles are properly covered but there are many other types of accidents or illnesses that require treatment. Instead of whinging about tourists having accidents and doing stupid things, the only way to make sure that people are taken care of and the hospitals get paid is:

 

1. To introduce a levy on all tourists that covers the bills of the unfortunate and the stupid.

2. To make sure that such people are treated by establishments that don't overcharge.

 

However, it would have to be a proper levy with all contributions used as intended not just another 'cash cow' for the Thai government/corrupt officials.

 

People here talk about the UK's NHS as if its free - its not.  The NHS is paid for by contributions and taxes such as National Insurance.  What it does however, is to provide medical treatment for all, not just those who can afford it.  I have good travel insurance that covers me for most things I'm likely to do in Thailand but I wouldn't mind paying say 1000 baht so total cover could be provided for others.  That cover would also apply to me if I did something that was outside of the scope of my travel insurance.

 

Having people in hospital, racking up biils that they can never afford is a ridiculous state of affairs.  Then don't do stupid things I hear you say, well that's easy to say and what about illness? None of us plan to get ill whilst on holiday but it happens.

 

Thailand needs to accept that accidents and illnesses are always going to affect non-residents and do something about it. Whining and whinging about it is not going to solve the problem.

 

I doubt that there are many of us that haven't done something stupid/risky whilst on holiday - maybe in the past but we have still all done it.  I've heard that some travel insurance doesn't cover Jet Ski's by way of example. How many of us with that sort of cover would turn down a chance to Jet Ski when it wasn't planned but a friend offered it? The likelyhood is that most would say yes and believe that nothing would happen to them.

 

Thailand can't have its cake and eat it.  They can't expect everyone to buy travel insurance when its not complusory and in any case, such insurance never covers everything.

An old British firend, pushing 90, came over to Thailand some years ago, his travel insurance cost almost as much as the holiday (90'ish and pre-existing conditions). Another old Scottish friend had contracted meiningitis soon after arriving in Thailand. The insurance paid the 2 million Baht (something like that), but as Ron said, any subsequent trip would have just been prohibitively expensive.

[DudleySquat]

On 5/24/2023 at 12:21 PM, webfact said:

He won’t be allowed to leave until the bill is completed… We have paid £12,500, but they are still very demanding for the rest.”

By law, isn't this defined as kidnapping or false imprisonment?

[Andrew65]

2 hours ago, save the frogs said:

Bali wants to make a law to forbid foreign tourists from renting motorbikes because they are too reckless.

Maybe Thailand should do the same. 

 

Bali wants to make a law to forbid foreign tourists from renting motorbikes because they are too pi*sed or high to be riding them????

[Ralf001]

6 hours ago, Andrew65 said:

Here's a thought. I believe that when we stay overnight at a hotel in Thailand, the hotel is obliged by law to take our passport details, that will, or can be, handed to the immigration Dept or is it the Land Dept? The same thing would apply at a hospital, but that probably doesn't explain the hanging on to the passport.

Yeah.... I mentioned they made copies of my passport,

[Bday Prang]

11 hours ago, it is what it is said:

yea, only quality tourists need apply to visit the uk. thank you.

no visa required for the low quality arrivals Hotels provided free on demand  along with mobile phones and spending money  Albanian Mafia particularly welcome

[richard_smith237]

12 hours ago, Bday Prang said:

The Thais that do visit the UK don't generally thrash round on hired motorcycles with no helmets on whilst drunk.so a reciprocal agreement would never be "fair"

....And the laws in the UK are enforced so they can’t ‘rent anything’ without being licensed. 

 

It could be argued that one of the reasons such issues exist in Thailand is the ‘enabling’ the utter lack of enforcement offers.

 

Almost yearly it is ’announced’ that rental shops are not allowed to rent out motorcycles to ‘unlicensed’ tourists....    The police check points are to make money, not make the roads safer....

 

This is not to suggest that these incidents are not the fault of the tourist, but it must be added that Thailand is also somewhat complicit due to the utter absence of enforcement which not only allows these situations to exist but effectively ‘welcomes’ such situations.