Irishman’s life hangs by a thread after mosquito bite in Thailand

[Mike Lister]

3 minutes ago, bradiston said:

I had a beautiful friend die of it in a private hospital. Comatose, multiple organ failure, on life support. Family had to decide whether to turn it off.

I'm sorry to hear that, my condolences.

[BritManToo]

2 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

If people can't afford to buy travel insurance they can't afford to travel. It's beyond foolish imagining that they will never need it.

Alternatively, they could choose to use a government hospital instead of the most expensive private hospital outside the USA.

[thaibeachlovers]

12 hours ago, steve187 said:

why not covered by insurance, cheap due to his age

LOL. My insurance got more expensive as I got older.

[bradiston]

9 minutes ago, Spock said:

It was on the news in Australia last night that over 40% of travellers are now forgoing travel insurance due to the cost. I was amazed at how much more expensive it is now when I went to Thailand in June, where the minimum comprehensive policy for a month was about $A350 while I paid $450 for one which covered me for motorbike riding and covid, both ill ness and out of pocket costs. That's a lot of money on top of airfares. It's understandable why people task the risk. It's also understandable why they shouldn't.

What you quote is almost exactly what I pay per month here in Thailand for in patient cover. But I'm 73 with a heart condition. Maybe people should look at getting properly covered at home, by a policy which includes at least some travel.  Might work out about the same, or even cheaper.

[arick]

Rare mosquito bite.  I just got bit last week.  He be ok some people  get sick and stay in the hospital. The probably have in intensive care for just the same of it. 

[arick]

16 minutes ago, bradiston said:

What you quote is almost exactly what I pay per month here in Thailand for in patient cover. But I'm 73 with a heart condition. Maybe people should look at getting properly covered at home, by a policy which includes at least some travel.  Might work out about the same, or even cheaper.

I pay £500 a year

[bradiston]

17 minutes ago, arick said:

I pay £500 a year

For what?

[RobU]

23 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

If people can't afford to buy travel insurance they can't afford to travel. It's beyond foolish imagining that they will never need it.

 

It might already be required, but Thailand should require proof of insurance before allowing a tourist to enter, if only to protect the foolish from their own stupidity.

 It is required for the 3 month retirement visa. But when I first came to Thailand for 30 days (no visa required) there were no checks whatsoever so I suspect he was only here for a month, or less, and got bitten 3 days before the date he was due to return home

[impulse]

9 minutes ago, arick said:

I pay £500 a year

Gotta wonder what you're getting for £500 a year.  Several years ago, I watched a Canadian network documentary on travel plans, with the basic premise that you need both a law degree and a medical degree to know what you're actually covered for, and what's excluded.

 

Not to mention the horror stories of people who paid for insurance and were denied because they were drunk.  Or on a scooter.  Or went to the wrong hospital.  Or...Or...

It's a YouTube and easy to find (unless, like me, you're in China where YouTube is blocked)

 

£500 a year just doesn't pass the sniff test...

 

 

 

[daveAustin]

5 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

I would not pay more than USD50.00 per day to save my life.

 

If I get breakbone fever, just shoot me up with painkillers, and let fate decide.

 

This is not a joke....

 

I would rather die than pay more than USD50.00 per day.

 

Therefore, better for me to just stay at home with a decent supply of hospital prescribed morphine.

 

If I live...OK.

If I die...Good.

 

Let the gods decide.

I put myself in the gods' hands....

 

If I should die, in the end, then it will not have been my loss.

 

(I feel sorry for his father, however, at age 83!)

 

I would be similar (just shoot me) but yours is old person thinking. This is a young chap and most likely never had the choice.

 

Dengue complications can be nightmarish, internal bleeding etc. But yes these private hospitals make a packet in these scenarios. Hope the lad pulls through. 

[Scouse123]

1 hour ago, FarangJon said:

Hope you gona be fine soon buddy. And hopefully it wasnt a huge Lady bar mosquito who bite you.

 

Well, the first seven words of your sentence were OK, before it descended into drivel.

[MrJ2U]

Crazy high prices!

 

There's a reason why Thailand will never be the "medical hub" of Southeast Asia.

 

Over priced hospitals is one of them. 

 

[PJ71]

11 hours ago, Stocky said:

WTF!

Sure ICU is not cheap, but that's heart stopping.

ICU is too keep you alive, friend of mine was 120K for one night about 15 years ago.

[MrJ2U]

Be great if Thailand could subsidise the dengue vaccine. At 5,000-6,000 (baht)a shot it's out of reach for most people in Thailand. 

[Scouse123]

47 minutes ago, fdimike said:

He had acute kidney failure, pneumonia, a bleed on the brain and severe nerve damage.  Not simple Dengue fever.  I'm sure it just didn't happen instantly during the taxi ride.

 

Yeah, he's had this in his system, lying dormant for a few days. He was probably feeling rough before his taxi ride.

 

Either way, I hope the guy pulls through.

[ChipButty]

These private hospitals in Thailand are ruthless, cant believe how many people come here without insurance, I saw this the other day on the Daily Mail and I made a post telling people never come to Thailand without insurance whether people take any notice of my post I dont know, 

I have had dengue twice and the first time they kept me in hospital for 5 days it was nowhere near that price but i wasnt in ICU, and that was in one of the private hospitals here in Phuket, 

[Sig]

Ridiculous.
Who in their right mind would go to a private hospital or stay in one with daily rates like that??? Completely insane.

[ChipButty]

If this carries on I can see insurance companies adding a premium if you say you are going to Thailand, I do know of a case some years ago were the insurance company disputed the hospital bill, for the treatment was more expensive here than it was in Holland.

[BusyB]

1 hour ago, tandor said:

"rare mosquito bite"....incorrect -  Dengue Fever is a very common disease, and on the increase

 

Yeah I saw that immediately as well - mossy bites are ten a penny in LOS 555 ... it's the dengue that's comparatively rare. More first class writing from the hub of gobbledygook.

[FinChin67]

19 minutes ago, MrJ2U said:

Be great if Thailand could subsidise the dengue vaccine. At 5,000-6,000 (baht)a shot it's out of reach for most people in Thailand. 

Does that really work? Thinking of getting one. Which type or vaccine and does it work against all variants?

 

Reply to myself, worth reading:

 

https://www.thaitravelclinic.com/blog/vaccineinfo/dengue-vaccine-for-foreigners-travelers-in-thailand-should-i-get-it-update-2023.html

[BusyB]

34 minutes ago, RobU said:

 It is required for the 3 month retirement visa. But when I first came to Thailand for 30 days (no visa required) there were no checks whatsoever so I suspect he was only here for a month, or less, and got bitten 3 days before the date he was due to return home

 

Health insurance is not required for the 3 month Non-O retirement. IS required for the 1 year O-A.

[tandor]

7 minutes ago, BusyB said:

 

Yeah I saw that immediately as well - mossy bites are ten a penny in LOS 555 ... it's the dengue that's comparatively rare. More first class writing from the hub of gobbledygook.

you said "the dengue that's comparatively rare"  What do you mean!

Mr. Google says this, and i would agree 100%.............As of November 2023, the accumulated number of people infected with dengue in Thailand amounted to approximately 123.1 thousand people.

[rwill]

1 hour ago, TheFishman1 said:

If he’s in a private hospital, don’t the doctor speak English that was confusing to me. TIT.

Bangkok hospital in Ratchaburi not very many of the doctors speak english fluently.  Not even close to fluent.  But this Bangkok hospital is cheaper than ones in other areas.  I think when my wife had surgery there an ICU room was 12,000 baht per day.  A far cry from what they are quoting in the article.  My wife had a titanium plate put in her neck and the total bill was cheaper than what they are saying for about 2 days for him. 

 

What is confusing about the story, as someone else already mentioned, if a mosquito bit him on a ride in a taxi to the airport he would have been out of the country before he turned ill.  And what's up with them saying 'rare mosquito bite'.  It's quite a common occurrence.

[RobU]

12 minutes ago, BusyB said:

 

Health insurance is not required for the 3 month Non-O retirement. IS required for the 1 year O-A.

You are wrong. it is required forthe 3 month retirement visa the applicant is required to submit evidence of healthcare insurance. It is also required for any other visa

https://london.thaiembassy.org/en/publicservice/84508-non-immigrant-visas

• Non-Immigrant Type O (Retirement (pensioner aged 50 or above with a state pension who wants to stay in Thailand for no longer than 90 days) - single entry only)
•  
• Financial evidence e.g. A copy of pension statement if the applicant is a pensioner, or a copy of 1-month bank statement showing your income from pension, or 3-month bank statement of at least £10,000
• Confirmation of legal residence in the UK or Ireland. Copy of health insurance that covers COVID-19 related medical expenses, both inpatient and outpatient, no less than 100,000 USD for the whole period of your stay in Thailand.

[BusyB]

1 hour ago, AdrianUk said:

Thats the most expensive ICU I have heard off,  this happens all the time here,  the ambulance guys that work for free get a 10% commission, so all the farang get set to the most expensive hospitals, then we see everyone begging for money in the media and family panicking and losing everything,  so the hospital can make a fortune!  I understand the value in better hospitals, but the family should be told the options,  my friend was in ICU in a government hospital for 2500 baht a day. Maybe the media could do a better job of pointing this out, the hospital don't give a crap the financial problems they make.

 

Maybe the farangs who spend so much on tickets, hotels and the rest should make sure they get adequate health insurance cover for their trip.

 

The cheap packages that sometimes come with baggage insurance and trip cancellation etc. are by their nature pretty limited. And if the travel dates go beyond the scope of the policy dates, the whole policy is invalid. 30 days insurance won't cover you for day one of a 31 day holiday even if you pay the premium. Many policies say ''1 year cover'', but what they really mean is any number of trips up to 30/45/90 days duration within that year - it's not 1 year cover. Credit card insurance is often of this type.  

 

Get a proper travel health insurance from a company with a good reputation like Ergo, Axa, Travel Nomads or the such like. Make sure it covers stuff like diving. If not there are specialized policies for things like that.

 

I use a policy that covers 100% in and outpatient and medevac for 105 euros a month. It covers me for up to 1 year travel abroad - except US. If I return early the final monthly premium is adjusted accordingly. I'm late 60s with no previous. At 70 it triples 555.

 

After a recent long term trip alI medical bills I handed in were remitted within days, no questions asked.

 

It's really not rocket science. It's self care - as well as respect for the rest of the community by not expecting others to fund my laziness, dimness or cheapness.

[Card]

13 hours ago, CanadaSam said:

Sad.  If the family can read this, move him to a Government hospital, they know how to deal with Dengue at much cheaper rates.

Is that even possible? Could the govt hospital refuse him?

[newbee2022]

I got Dengue fever once. For me it was not as bad sometimes described somewhere. However, it gave me a hard time for 2 weeks.. Apart from Ibuprofen and drinking water no medication necessary. And no hospital. 

Bad luck for the Irishman. 

Hopefully he's not begging for money.

Probably he got a travel insurance which will pay.

[BusyB]

3 minutes ago, RobU said:

You are wrong. it is required forthe 3 month retirement visa the applicant is required to submit evidence of healthcare insurance. It is also required for any other visa

https://london.thaiembassy.org/en/publicservice/84508-non-immigrant-visas

• Non-Immigrant Type O (Retirement (pensioner aged 50 or above with a state pension who wants to stay in Thailand for no longer than 90 days) - single entry only)
•  
• Financial evidence e.g. A copy of pension statement if the applicant is a pensioner, or a copy of 1-month bank statement showing your income from pension, or 3-month bank statement of at least £10,000
• Confirmation of legal residence in the UK or Ireland. Copy of health insurance that covers COVID-19 related medical expenses, both inpatient and outpatient, no less than 100,000 USD for the whole period of your stay in Thailand.

 

That's old and out of date.

 

Even if you actually got that from a genuine embassy site, it's out of date from the Covid era. I can assure you. I'm on a Non-O retirement extension. It's not required. It's why many change from O-A to Non-O to escape the health insurance requirements.

[sandrew33]

6 hours ago, GammaGlobulin said:

I would not pay more than USD50.00 per day to save my life.

 

If I get breakbone fever, just shoot me up with painkillers, and let fate decide.

 

This is not a joke....

 

I would rather die than pay more than USD50.00 per day.

 

Therefore, better for me to just stay at home with a decent supply of hospital prescribed morphine.

 

If I live...OK.

If I die...Good.

 

Let the gods decide.

I put myself in the gods' hands....

 

If I should die, in the end, then it will not have been my loss.

 

(I feel sorry for his father, however, at age 83!)

 

 

 

 

The quintessential example of someone who knows and cost of everything and the value of nothing 🤷🏻‍♂️

[it is what it is]

4 hours ago, PingRoundTheWorld said:

Yeah no kidding. Ludicrously overpriced. I have a friend who got admitted there for another condition (also was on the brink) - he survived but had to sell an apartment(!) to fund his hospital bills.

 

Out of curiosity- if one were to be in critical condition, where would you recommend they go/get admitted to? can a government hospital be trusted? are there private hospitals that won't cost you an apartment or a kidney?

 

have you been in an ICU in a modern hospital? the level of care is, frankly, awesome. such a cost in a private hospital doesn't surprise me.