Hello All,

We are retiring  to Thailand in 3 weeks.

Thai spouse has long history of abdominal adhesions and procedures.

Will need specialized care.

Where would you take your Thai spouse for specialty care? GI and Abdominal surgery?

Government hospital preferred.

Thanks

Whete in Thailand will you be living?

 

Thai nationals can get free care through the government system at hospital which covers the location where they have house registration (or other facility that they refer the patient to when necessary). 

 

Make sure to live in a large city or a provincial  capital town which has a regional level hospital. And to be listed in a housebook ("tabian ban") there. 

Thank you Sheryl,

We will start with family 3hr north of Bangkok.

Will look for a referral to the Bangkok area, any suggestion?

Siriraj hospital?

 

For free care need to go through the government system which means using whatever hospital applies to that catchment area. 

 

If you are talking about paying out of pocket instead, choice if surgeon more important that choice of hospital.  Siriraj and Chulalingkorn both have some excellent doctors  but there may be long wait list for durgery and ptocedures unless you use private channels which cost more, in some cases similar to mid range private hosputal costs. 

 

Exactly what type of surgery is required and how soon? Or is it a GI soecialist (non-surgeon) that is needed? 

 

3 hours N of Bangkok -- which province? Trying to figure out whether Chula or Siriraj more convenient. 

 

After living outside thailand for many years, We are retiring to thailand end of november.

We will start in Nahkon Sawan where thai spouse is registered.

Spouse, 50 years old,  has long history of intestinal adhesions. last surgery (June) in California resulted in leaking intestine to outside of abdomen, Fistula. Doctors are very reluctant to intervene because of medical history.

Now 4 months, fistula not closing, Will soon need surgery to repair leaking intestine.

Like most people, our finances are quite limited.

 

18 hours ago, roman50 said:

After living outside thailand for many years, We are retiring to thailand end of november.

We will start in Nahkon Sawan where thai spouse is registered.

Spouse, 50 years old,  has long history of intestinal adhesions. last surgery (June) in California resulted in leaking intestine to outside of abdomen, Fistula. Doctors are very reluctant to intervene because of medical history.

Now 4 months, fistula not closing, Will soon need surgery to repair leaking intestine.

Like most people, our finances are quite limited.

 

I strongly advise against moving to Thailand until her current medical issues have been resolved/fistula is repaired.

 

While she will be eligible for free medical care under the government system, she will be required to start at the government hospital that covers the district where she is registered and may have difficulty getting referred  to an appopriate level of care for this.

 

Nakhon Sawan does have a regional level government hospital (in the provincial town; those living in another district need first to be referred from their community hospital). However while fine for many things this will not be suitable for her current needs.  And it might take some doing to convince them of this, and they might insist on first trying.

 

Otherwise she can go as a self paying patient to Siriraj but there may be long wait list.

 

Really better to take care of this in the US, with doctors conversant with her medical history,  first and defer the  move to Thailand. 

 

As your funds are very lmited, her current medical issues aside you need to consider how you will pay for medical care for yourself. Even at government hospitals, a serious illness or accident can reach  a million baht in fees if ICU care and/or specialuzed surgery involved. 

thank you for the response