10 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

Why do you consider profit greed?

 The word "greed" is from the thread title,  not from me.

I prefer to speak of "unalienable Rights", such as the "pursuit of Profit"

Reading a story like this confirms my decision never to get on a motorbike in Thailand. You have a death wish when you ride a bike in Thailand. 

4 minutes ago, Lorry said:

 The word "greed" is from the thread title,  not from me.

I prefer to speak of "unalienable Rights", such as the "pursuit of Profit"

No, it was from you. 

1 minute ago, Yellowtail said:

No, it was from you. 

I suggest to read the thread title

Just now, Lorry said:

I suggest to read the thread title

I read it, 

The more i hear about here the more id prefer the extremely flawed american health care system

Nothing but praise for the local government hospital i use , every 3 months

I go there for tests and tablets for blood pressure and diabetes , but a few

weeks ago had to go there as had an accident , fell off a ladder , had severe

damage to my head.

 

Arrived at the hospital was immediately taken into the treatment room ,

given a CT scan , lucky head not fractured , then had 15 stitches in my

scalp , all the time treated with care and attention , total cost 10.500 Baht,

the CT scan was the expensive part, 

 

After that was told to go to local government clinic ,to have my head cleaned

and bandaged , total cost 120 Baht per day , prefer government hospitals to

blood sucking private ones .

 

regards worgeordie   

 

11 hours ago, angryguy said:

The more i hear about here the more id prefer the extremely flawed american health care system

The primary problem with the US system is government. 

11 hours ago, worgeordie said:

Arrived at the hospital was immediately taken into the treatment room ,

given a CT scan , lucky head not fractured , then had 15 stitches in my

scalp , all the time treated with care and attention , total cost 10.500 Baht,

the CT scan was the expensive part, 

Why bother with a 200bht X-ray when a 10,000bht CT scan will do?

6 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

Why bother with a 200bht X-ray when a 10,000bht CT scan will do?

It was not a 10,000 Baht CT scan , 10.5 Baht was total bill ,my money,

pleased I got it, why not complain about the 120 Baht per day to have my 

head cleaned and new dressing put on , that may sound expensive to you.

 

regards Worgeordie

15 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

I had no surgery for my collar bone, just wore a harness like thing. Still have a big lump where the break was. 

Clavicle fractures are not all the same. It can be a simple fracture without dislocation. Or it can be dislocated. Dislicated fractions can sometimed be refuced without surgery and sometimes not. . The bone can be in shards. There can be one or several points of break.  Etc etc. Treatment will vary accordingly.  Sounds like you had a simple non dislicated fraction. OP's situation was different. 

 

Noteworthy to me in OP account is that surgery was recommended by surgeon at government military hospital.  No possible profit motive there, and military hospital doctors have a lot of trauma experience.  Also noteworthy that the needed surgery was compkex enough that the military hospital could not do it. 

16 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Nope,

No surgery, it's not normal for a broken collarbone, and if it was so serious that they needed to cut him open, he wouldn't have been walking out carrying a bag the next day.

I've broken mine 5 times one one side, one of those was a compound fracture and once on the other. 6 times and I've never had surgery, I also don't know anyone who has for a broken collar bone unless they got screws and armor

On 9/13/2025 at 7:08 AM, Bannoi said:

Reading these story's makes me thankful for the NHS.

How does UK NHS help you in Thailand? Also, have you recently (last 15 years)  tried to get anything done? They have pre-prepared answers e.g. 'It's only happened the once' and; 'It's not serious enough (yet)'.

49 minutes ago, Sheryl said:

Clavicle fractures are not all the same. It can be a simple fracture without dislocation. Or it can be dislocated. Dislicated fractions can sometimed be refuced without surgery and sometimes not. . The bone can be in shards. There can be one or several points of break.  Etc etc. Treatment will vary accordingly.  Sounds like you had a simple non dislicated fraction. OP's situation was different. 

 

Noteworthy to me in OP account is that surgery was recommended by surgeon at government military hospital.  No possible profit motive there, and military hospital doctors have a lot of trauma experience.  Also noteworthy that the needed surgery was compkex enough that the military hospital could not do it. 

Oh, I do not doubt some need surgery. In the same accident I had a serious skull fracture and broken ribs, so that collar bone was not that big a deal. 

 

I am not sure how bad the break was, I think the brake was pretty clean, but the area of contact where it healed together was only about 50%, so it was offset, In the x-rays now, where it healed is a big ball, and I have a viable lump. 

 

Once I got out of the hospital (Howard University) I never went back. Probably should gone back for a follow-up 

1 hour ago, BritManToo said:

Why bother with a 200bht X-ray when a 10,000bht CT scan will do?

Because many fractures of the skull cannot be seen on an x-ray.

6 hours ago, Sheryl said:

Noteworthy to me in OP account is that surgery was recommended by surgeon at government military hospital.  No possible profit motive there, and military hospital doctors have a lot of trauma experience.  Also noteworthy that the needed surgery was compkex enough that the military hospital could not do it. 

I thought similar. Here's a case where the professional first doctor diagnosed the problem, interpreted the imaging correcetly, and gave you honest advice and guidance to go to a place with better facilities for the complicated fracture, instead of trying to do it there. Kudos to him.

Also, your experience at the (redacted) private joint unfortunately mirrors that of others. Pitching medical services like a Central Midnight Sale mainly to foreigners in English, Arabic, Chinese, etc., should raise a red flag - but for a newbee it's more familiar and comforting I guess to go to these places.

 

Over many years I have been to quite a few hospitals for various treatment - I stick mostly to one that is probably considered a second tier private hospital in Bangkok - but that's because a few of the doctors I see there are very good IMO, not because it's slightly cheaper, though it is that too. And they have most of my records.

 

I think many others on this forum in Bangkok who have lived here more than 5-10 years will have eventually realized that going to, what I will cal lthe 'Big Three' private joints doesn't mean they'll get better care or see better doctors, it just means they will pay more - with one place in particular notorious (anecdotaly) for running up the bill with additional tests that were at least questionnable. Like others, I learned to search for and find doctors who were well-experienced in various fields (that I needed) and I would find out where they worked, and go the place they worked 'most often' - often at lesser know private hospitals and government ones (though many might also work one day a week at the Big Three). This would often cost much less. It takes research and asking others, but it's worth it - not just monetarily - but health-wise too - which is the most important thing in my books. It's the good doctors I'm after, not the big name hospitals or even some of the impressive Thai titles (like Prof Dr, Pol. Gen. Assoc Prof Dr., etc) - though some of them are very good doctors too

 

 

23 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Nope,

No surgery, it's not normal for a broken collarbone, and if it was so serious that they needed to cut him open, he wouldn't have been walking out carrying a bag the next day.

Re-read the OP.

 

He had surgery.

 

Recommended by the surgeon at the government Military Hospital he went to initially, but that hospital did not have the capacity to do what was needed and advised him to go elsewhere for it, which he did. 

 

What is "normal" for a clavicle fracture depends very much on the nature of the fracture. Sounds like he had a displaced, and possibly cominuted, fracture. These do often need surgery, unlike simple fractures. 

23 hours ago, dutch boy said:

Reading a story like this confirms my decision never to get on a motorbike in Thailand. You have a death wish when you ride a bike in Thailand. 

Here we go again with this old mantra. Motorcycles are essential for transport if you want to get around any city. Lucky for you, most Thai people use motorcycles, so that people who drive cars can sometimes move in heavily congested streets. You don't see many accidents, and certainly not fatal ones, when considering the sheer number of motorcycles on the road. Accidents will happen, hence giving you the impression that riding a bike equals sure death or serious injuries.

 

My partner has a car but seldom uses it in Pattaya. She takes a motorcycle to work, about a 20km round trip. There's no way she's going to spend an extra 30 minutes to 1 hour in her car going to and from work, along with the extra cost of petrol.

On 9/14/2025 at 9:09 PM, BritManToo said:

Lesson to be learned .... Don't trust Thai doctors.

 

BINGO, i would'nt EVER trust the Thai private hospital network, its just a great opportunity for them to make as much money as they can with absolutely no thought of them showing any integrity or ethics.

 

They're just a bunch of thieves IME. 

On 9/15/2025 at 10:42 PM, JensenZ said:

You don't see many accidents

I see them 

On 9/15/2025 at 12:20 PM, Slowhand225 said:

I've broken mine 5 times one one side, one of those was a compound fracture and once on the other. 6 times and I've never had surgery, I also don't know anyone who has for a broken collar bone unless they got screws and armor

Screws etc are quite likely what OP received and will have been the largest ticket item in his bill.

 

Again -- government military hospital doctor, who had nothing to gain by doing so, recommended he have this surgery and also indicated it was technically complex. 

On 9/13/2025 at 8:59 PM, Jim Mac said:

Why can the hospital not be named. They are incompetent scammers i would rather be locked up for defamation than have to go to this hospital.  Please let it be named and shamed for the sake of other people. Otherwise you are just being weak and subjecting other people to this despicable hospital. Grow a backbone. 

Do you know nothing of Thailand?

explanation is crystal clear

 

Quote

Thailand's defamation laws

 

9 minutes ago, w00n s3n said:

Do you know nothing of Thailand?

explanation is crystal clear

 

 

 

 

Less than one day here and you know so much.

 

 

We are indeed blessed

Just now, hotandsticky said:

 

 

Less than one day here and you know so much.

 

 

 

 

Impossible! 

Yes.

life begins with AN.

 

only those with thousands of posts could possibly have experience, knowledge, or a valid opinion. 

7 minutes ago, w00n s3n said:

 

Impossible! 

Yes.

life begins with AN.

 

only those with thousands of posts could possibly have experience, knowledge, or a valid opinion. 

 

 

No, seriously, we are blessed when when we het knowledgeable newbies....

16 minutes ago, w00n s3n said:

only those with thousands of posts could possibly have experience, knowledge, or a valid opinion. 

 .... and previously banned trolls returning with new accounts ........

On 9/14/2025 at 7:39 PM, BritManToo said:

Lesson to be learned .... Don't trust Thai doctors.

Deciding to live in Thailand and not trust Thai Doctors (and maybe all Thais & anything Thai) might make life a tad difficult.

I had a surgery. The price quoted before the surgery was close to what the total charge was.

 

But strangely, I had an eye exam and the price was higher than what was quoted. Since it wasn't a large amount, I didn't contest too much and will never know why they charged me more than the quote. 

 

 

10 minutes ago, ravip said:

Deciding to live in Thailand and not trust Thai Doctors (and maybe all Thais & anything Thai) might make life a tad difficult.

How?

Trust is not required in most transactions, not required at all if you have the product/service before you pay for it.

 

What dealings/transactions do you have in Thailand that are based on trust?