Sky Doctor Flies Ailing German Tourist From Koh Samui To Trang

[webfact]

THE SKY DOCTOR service flew a German tourist who had suffered a stroke on Koh Samui to Trang Hospital and saved his life, TV Channel 7 said this morning (Mar. 15).

 

At 11.15 a.m. yesterday National Institute of Emergency Medicine (NIEM) was asked by the Nerendthorn Centre on Koh Samui to send an aircraft to transport an unidentified 71-year-old German tourist from Koh Samui Hospital to Trang Hospital as he had suffered a stroke.

 

The tourist had sought treatment after symptoms of stiff tongue, unclear speech and weak limbs had set in. Preliminary CT scan revealed a blood clot in the cerebral artery with the patient urgently needing specialised treatment that exceeded Koh Samui Hospital’s capacity.

 

He might not have got timely treatment if he were sent to Trang Hospital by ferry and road.

 

by TNR Staff 

Picture: The German tourist who suffered a stroke being taken to Trang Hospital in an army helicopter. Photo: TV Channel 7

 

Full story: THAI NEWSROOM 2024-03-15

 

- Discover how Cigna Insurance can protect you with a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment. For more information on expat health insurance click here.

 

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[Tropicalevo]

But there are six other hospitals on Samui.

Or did he not have insurance!!!

Mind you - emergency care is FOC. It is the follow up that is expensive.

[TroubleandGrumpy]

One of the downsides of living on an island or in a remote location - the availability of high level medical services. Something all Expats should take into account when getting towards the later years (60+). 

[Keep Right]

25 minutes ago, TroubleandGrumpy said:

One of the downsides of living on an island or in a remote location - the availability of high level medical services. Something all Expats should take into account when getting towards the later years (60+). 

So very true and having enough money readily available to pay for quality medical care in a Private Thai hospital.

[ChaiyaTH]

1 hour ago, Tropicalevo said:

But there are six other hospitals on Samui.

Or did he not have insurance!!!

Mind you - emergency care is FOC. It is the follow up that is expensive.

That helps you zero. Emergency care would be to try and get your heart beat running again after for example an heart attack. However, in many cases you would still need an emergency surgery or additional treatment, to ensure the stability of being alive longer-term, that is never covered.

 

Also often there are limited specialists, the best fit doctors / surgeons, for specific treatments, who are not always near the islands. 

[TroubleandGrumpy]

1 hour ago, Keep Right said:

So very true and having enough money readily available to pay for quality medical care in a Private Thai hospital.

Exactly - and that many Expats are not planning for that astounds me. And those guys are the ones who caused/gave excuse for the Thai Govt to enforce mandatory medical insurance for some Visas for everyone (and maybe more Visas in future).

[ronster]

Good to know that despite having 5 or 6 large hospitals on the island you will be pretty much in trouble if having something that is quite common like a stroke ! 😳

[hotchilli]

18 hours ago, webfact said:

The tourist had sought treatment after symptoms of stiff tongue, unclear speech and weak limbs had set in.

This can also happen if you don't swallow the little blue pill fast enough, the above also a stiff neck.

[so I'm told] 

[brianthainess]

The Military needs more helicopters, not Fighter jets and subs. 

[brianthainess]

21 hours ago, ChaiyaTH said:

 

 

Also often there are limited specialists, the best fit doctors / surgeons, for specific treatments, who are not always near the islands. 

Exactly there are no surgeons on KC, Trat on the mainland is the only place to go, but there is a speed boat that can take you, it would take about an hour+ all up to get there, maybe quicker than a chopper from Samui to Trang. 

[brianthainess]

22 hours ago, ChaiyaTH said:

 

 

Also often there are limited specialists, the best fit doctors / surgeons, for specific treatments, who are not always near the islands. 

Exactly there are no surgeons on KC, Trat on the mainland is the only place to go, but there is a speed boat that can take you, it would take about an hour+ all up to get there, maybe quicker than a chopper from Samui to Trang. 

[brianthainess]

Breaking news Thailand uses a helicopter for airlifting a sick man. 

Quite normal in the real world.

[Ben Zioner]

6 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

Breaking news Thailand uses a helicopter for airlifting a sick man. 

Quite normal in the real world.

Real world sure. But even Nepal is decades ahead of Thailand when it comes to rescue airlifts.

 

[Sheryl]

On 3/15/2024 at 12:54 PM, Tropicalevo said:

But there are six other hospitals on Samui.

Or did he not have insurance!!!

Mind you - emergency care is FOC. It is the follow up that is expensive.

The treatment needed is highly specialized and is not available at most hospitals  in Thailand. Certainly none below provincial level and not even most provincial hospitals. 

 

Emergency care is not free for foreigners in Thailand.

 

Air ambulance is expensive, can be sure he had $$ or insurance or both. 

[Sheryl]

30 minutes ago, Ben Zioner said:

Real world sure. But even Nepal is decades ahead of Thailand when it comes to rescue airlifts.

 

Not much choice in Nepal. Most rescues are from mountains and road access is bad to nil.

 

Most of Thailand by contrast can trandport people to higher level faciluties by road.

[Ben Zioner]

13 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

Not much choice in Nepal. Most rescues are from mountains and road access is bad to nil.

 

Most of Thailand by contrast can trandport people to higher level faciluties by road.

Disagree totally, in many lives can be saved, after road accidents for instance, if ambulances don't get slowed down by traffic congestion. The helicopter becomes then an absolute must. 

[eisfeld]

Interesting that Trang was the closest option for treatment. That means they couldn't have done it either in Surat Thani nor Nakhon Si Thammarat. Phuket would have been also the same distance.

 

Also interesting that it was an army helicopter. Do hospitals in Thailand not have their own holicopters? I am not critizing btw, it seems to make sense to share this resource that is not frequently used.

[Sheryl]

7 minutes ago, eisfeld said:

Interesting that Trang was the closest option for treatment. That means they couldn't have done it either in Surat Thani nor Nakhon Si Thammarat. Phuket would have been also the same distance.

 

Also interesting that it was an army helicopter. Do hospitals in Thailand not have their own holicopters? I am not critizing btw, it seems to make sense to share this resource that is not frequently used.

Trang likely has  the the "hub hospital" for thrombolytic treatment in this Health Region (Region 11). 

 

Government hospitals do not have their own helicopters. Private hospitals sometimes (but nto always) do. The recently expanded "Sky Doctor" system is managed by the  Ministry of Public Health system and covers the more remote Health Regions, including Region 11.

[Enoon]

1 hour ago, Sheryl said:

The treatment needed is highly specialized and is not available at most hospitals  in Thailand. Certainly none below provincial level and not even most provincial hospitals. 

 

Emergency care is not free for foreigners in Thailand.

 

Air ambulance is expensive, can be sure he had $$ or insurance or both. 

 

"After being contacted by Narenthorn Centre, Capt. Dr. Atchariya Pangma, NIEM’s secretary-general, approved the use of a helicopter to quickly transfer the tourist to Trang Hospital and coordinated with the Fourth Army Region to send one."

 

"NIEM’s Sky Doctor emergency service is available in all parts of the country to assist both both locals and tourists free of charge with the cost being covered by the Emergency Medical Fund."

 

[Tropicalevo]

1 hour ago, Sheryl said:

Emergency care is not free for foreigners in Thailand.

Hi Sheryl

I am confused and I do not want to dispute your very valuable comments to AN but.....

My wife died in her sleep.

I rushed her to the nearest hospital that had decent emergency care . It was a private hospital (Bangkok Hospital Samui).

They tried to resuscitate her for almost an hour and eventually gave up.

I went back the next day to pay the bill - no charge. Hence my comment.

We are both from the UK.

[Sheryl]

5 minutes ago, Tropicalevo said:

Hi Sheryl

I am confused and I do not want to dispute your very valuable comments to AN but.....

My wife died in her sleep.

I rushed her to the nearest hospital that had decent emergency care . It was a private hospital (Bangkok Hospital Samui).

They tried to resuscitate her for almost an hour and eventually gave up.

I went back the next day to pay the bill - no charge. Hence my comment.

We are both from the UK.

I have no idea why you were not charged. Normally would be. Unless she had Thai SS from (past or present) employment in Thailand. 

 

 

[eisfeld]

23 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

Trang likely has  the the "hub hospital" for thrombolytic treatment in this Health Region (Region 11). 

 

Government hospitals do not have their own helicopters. Private hospitals sometimes (but nto always) do. The recently expanded "Sky Doctor" system is managed by the  Ministry of Public Health system and covers the more remote Health Regions, including Region 11.

 

Thanks for the information Sheryl!

[Tropicalevo]

1 minute ago, Sheryl said:

I have no idea why you were not charged. Normally would be. Unless she had Thai SS from (past or present) employment in Thailand. 

 

 

That would explain it - she was a teacher and had paid SS for many years.

 

Thank you.

[Sheryl]

Just now, Tropicalevo said:

That would explain it - she was a teacher and had paid SS for many years.

 

Thank you.

 

Yes it explains it.

 

People with SS are entitled to  emergency care at any hospital, including private, for up to 72 hours. It is not given free, the hospital  gets reimbursed by SS. (But at SS rates which is less than normal private hospital charge). 

 

System is not always correctly implemented by private hospitals though. Luckoly in your case it was.