Hospital in Bangkok Fined 100,000 Baht for Rejecting Injured Patient

[snoop1130]

 

The Vibharam Hospital, a private healthcare facility in Bangkok, was fined 100,000 baht for not treating a critically injured patient who later succumbed to his injuries. The hospital previously rejected another fatally injured individual.

 

The incident states that the Emergency Medicine Committee (EMC) imposed the penalty on the hospital for failing to provide treatment to a policeman. The police officer was hit by a vehicle not far from the hospital, while on duty.

 

Evidence shared with the EMC, including witness accounts, showed that the hospital twice declined the Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) unit's plea to treat the officer. Consequently, the injured officer had to be taken to another hospital where he was eventually declared dead.

 

The EMC stated that the hospital was obliged to provide treatment to the injured person given the critical nature of the emergency. The committee members recognized this incident as the second instance where the hospital declined to treat a severely injured patient.

 

In a similar case from December last year, the hospital refused to treat a Taiwanese tourist who was injured by a car while crossing the road. The tourist had to be taken to a different hospital where he later died from his injuries.

 

Photo: Creative Commons License via Google

 

-- 2024-04-26

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[TheFatOne]

Barbaric practices in Thailand are on the decline it seems.

Slowly but surely (let's face it 100,000THB fine is pretty much nothing).

Overall, good news

[bkk6060]

Sounds like a terrible place the management should all be terminated.

[OneMoreFarang]

11 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

was fined 100,000 baht for not treating a critically injured patient

Cost of treatment: maybe 200k or more

Fine: 100k

No surprise that they chose the cheaper option. After all, a private hospital is a business.

 

To solve this, I suggest the following:

a) Make sure any hospital would be compensated for their services.

b) Fine them at least 10 times as much as the service cost might be.

Problem solved.

 

[300sd]

10 million is more like it. Then perhaps it won't happen again.

[Celsius]

I doubt doctors anywhere would work for free regardless of the professional ethics 

[dingdongrb]

How about fining those driving that do not give the right of way to emergency vehicles?

 

Maybe if an injured person could get to a hospital in a reasonable amount of time they would have a better chance for survival.

[dddave]

Many of Thailand's private Hospitals are owned by individual Doctors or the family of the founding Doctor and I suspect many are micromanaged by the owners who can be heavy handed, browbeating any staff that admit a patient incapable of paying. 

I know a nurse who worked in such a hospital in Yaowarat  The staff were constantly yelled at and threatened with dismissal for any act the owners did not approve of.  I would not be surprised if that is the case in this instance. 

[ChipButty]

It happens in other hospitals, they died so that hospital doesn't want dead bodies on it's record 

[brianthainess]

I wonder what the outcome would have been if it had not been a cop, but just a poor person. 

[Roo Island]

This has happened many times before. Can't pay before treatment, your left on a gurney in the parking lot

[tlcwaterfall]

2 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

Sounds like a terrible place the management should all be terminated.

"Terminated" With one of their own needles perhaps?

[RichardColeman]

Problem is probably more to do with death statistics and making the hospital look bad 

[hotchilli]

14 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The EMC stated that the hospital was obliged to provide treatment to the injured person given the critical nature of the emergency. The committee members recognized this incident as the second instance where the hospital declined to treat a severely injured patient.

 

In a similar case from December last year, the hospital refused to treat a Taiwanese tourist who was injured by a car while crossing the road. The tourist had to be taken to a different hospital where he later died from his injuries

It's not about care in Thailand...

It's all about money.

[hotchilli]

13 hours ago, Celsius said:

I doubt doctors anywhere would work for free regardless of the professional ethics 

If they're clocked in they're getting their salary, patients or not.

[chuang]

100K is peanuts to the hospital... No

[1duckyboy]

One would hope the fine for a second offense in five months would be large enough to discourage such shameful actions. !00k will do nothing.

[Bangkok Barry]

16 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

Sounds like a terrible place the management should all be terminated jailed.

 

There. Fixed it.

[aussienam]

100,000 Baht for a hospital is a pittance. In a civilized country there would be criminal prosecution for negligence, huge civil litigation and medical registration authorities would possibly be able to make steps to shut down the hospital, if the private operator is liable and complicit.  These are death hospitals. Scary. 

[AlexPattaya]

Thai Law mandate All Hospitals in Thailand to provide Emergency Care irrespective of the Patient’s ability to pay! The Family of the deceased Police Office should definitely file a Big Lawsuit against this Hospital!!

[The Fugitive]

1 hour ago, AlexPattaya said:

Thai Law mandate All Hospitals in Thailand to provide Emergency Care irrespective of the Patient’s ability to pay! The Family of the deceased Police Office should definitely file a Big Lawsuit against this Hospital!!

Agree. Private hospitals shouldn't be able to 'cherry pick' where Emergency Treatment is required and they are the nearest facility. I don't know what they are reimbursed by the Thai Government (if indeed they are) for providing Emergency Treatment? Could be they get the same as a Government Hospital which would explain their reluctance! Additionally, Private (and Government) Hospitals face problems if the patient survives and requires further treatment. Without money in their bank account beforehand (or consent from any insurer if they choose to accept that) they are then placed in the position of having to discontinue treatment. I've read that a Private Hospital would, at that point, seek to transfer the patient to a Government Hospital.

[richard_smith237]

So much for the Hippocratic oath….

 

Hypocritical oath at this hospital perhaps… 

 

 

 

[Photoguy21]

The medical industry is just that, an industry. It is not there for the patient but only to make money. Just look at the medical services around the world. Greed, greed and more greed. They supposedly took the Hippocratic oath, or it is assumed they did, but obviously forgot about it as soon as they saw the money.

The family of the patient should sue the hospital for millions.

[ukrules]

On 4/26/2024 at 4:24 PM, bkk6060 said:

Sounds like a terrible place the management should all be terminated.

 

It should be shut down for a year, that would make them learn.

[john donson]

100k, wth, that is what they overcharge any farang on the normal bill

 

nothing will ever change here... 

 

miracle the hospital was finally named...  or is a 100 million defamation lawsuit coming now?

[Ctkong]

On 4/26/2024 at 5:15 PM, TheFatOne said:

Barbaric practices in Thailand are on the decline it seems.

Slowly but surely (let's face it 100,000THB fine is pretty much nothing).

Overall, good news

Given that the hospital name was made public, it is a serious loss of face in the medical industry. 

[Ctkong]

7 hours ago, Photoguy21 said:

The medical industry is just that, an industry. It is not there for the patient but only to make money. Just look at the medical services around the world. Greed, greed and more greed. They supposedly took the Hippocratic oath, or it is assumed they did, but obviously forgot about it as soon as they saw the money.

The family of the patient should sue the hospital for millions.

It is sad that the medical hospital industry were controlled by private corporations whose motto is to make money above all else. Same all over the world . 
 

[Photoguy21]

11 hours ago, Ctkong said:

It is sad that the medical hospital industry were controlled by private corporations whose motto is to make money above all else. Same all over the world . 
 

It is i agree. They are a business not a health care facility which is their product.

[BE88]

Closing the hospital for 6 months would have been the best punishment so that other private hospitals do not follow the same path.

[BE88]

28 minutes ago, Photoguy21 said:

It is i agree. They are a business not a health care facility which is their product.

 

This only happens due to corruption and the letting various governments do, a public service must function as a public service not as a bank. If the hospital does not accept this task it must be closed.

The case of this policeman certainly had insurance and therefore his refusal was unacceptable.