Another weird experience (or not?) with Thai immigration while trying to enter Thailand.

I had a minor accident in Laos: I fell down and broke my finger. Communication at the Lao hospital was nearly impossible and the doctors were pretty pissed off because they were sleeping and needed to be woken up during their nightshift.

Hence the next day I wanted to visit an (international) hospital in Thailand. Unfortunately the Thai immiration refused entry to me and said ''You don't have visa, go back to Laos''. I said I'm only coming for medical treatment about 1 day. The immigration officer said ''I don't let you enter, go back to Laos and get a visa''. As always, Thai immigration treating me horrific for some kind of reason. I thought that ''visa status / visa history'' would be resetted in the new calender year, but apparently not in my case...

The busdriver from Vientiane to Udon Thani noticed I wasn't in the bus and came to find me. I told him they don't let me enter Thailand. Then the busdriver spoke some words in Thai with the immigration officer and said ''Okay I let you in this time''.

I visited Bangkok Hospital in Udon Thani where they told me my finger is broken and that I need surgery as soon as possible. I went back to my home country for further medical treatment, where they found out that the service level at Bangkok Hospital is extremely bad, because they failed to clean my wounds (a dirty stone was still stuck in the wound which made my hand infected and swollen) and they also failed to read the x-ray photos of my hand, where you could see the stone still stuck in my hand... I made the right decision to not get further medical treatment in Thailand.

Thailand stays off my travel list. The only reason I wanted to visit Thailand was for a short medical check-up but the immigration officers treated me like I was going to work there illegally for the next 10 years... From Laos, China would have been a better option for a medical check-up. A new lesson learned

12 minutes ago, ChinChan said:

Thailand stays off my travel list

Along with your other threads regarding Thailand just seems axe to grind.

Best of luck with alternative destinations

2 hours ago, ChinChan said:

Then the busdriver spoke some words in Thai with the immigration officer and said ''Okay I let you in this time''.

That's a new one, he could make a killing selling safe entry services.

3 hours ago, ChinChan said:

I visited Bangkok Hospital in Udon Thani where they told me my finger is broken and that I need surgery as soon as possible

Bangkok hospital in UT just behind bar area is excellent hospital.

You opted to return to home country for treatment for finger.

Most likely due to cost.

Now post complaint. Really?

Thailand gave you the finger

Visa exempt entry is for tourism purposes only.

On this occasion you were coming for medical treatment so, technically, you did not qualify for entry via VE.

Here is a little cheese to go with your whine

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQrh1jJjZacNPub7HYO8IZhGCioH9O7drKnVA&s

3 hours ago, terryq said:

Visa exempt entry is for tourism purposes only.

On this occasion you were coming for medical treatment so, technically, you did not qualify for entry via VE.

That's definitely wrong. Medical tourism (entering Thailand specifically for medical treatment) is a perfectly acceptable - and even encouraged - form of tourism. There's no reason whatsoever why someone who qualifies for a visa exempt entry can't make use of it for this purpose.

The point here is that someone who has already exhausted whatever Thai IOs consider appropriate for visa exempt stays cannot count on them being more lenient when asking to be admitted specifically for medical tourism - the usual policies apply.

In my 14+ years here I have been an inpatient at Bangkok Pattaya hospital to insert a prosthetic device to repair/replace the broken ball at the top of my left femur. At Bangkok Nursing Home (BNH) I was an inpatient twice, once for COVID and once for artificial arteries to be installed from the groin to the knees in both legs along with a bypass designed to balance the blood flow to the upper portion of both legs. My primary doctor at BNH is chief of the CARDIO METABOLIC and KIDNEY FUNCTION department and also the director of the hospital. Earlier I was seen bu Dr Nick Walters quarterly at MISSION HOSPITAL on Phitsanulok Road in Bangkok for management of my Type II diabetes. At one time my doctor at BNH referred me to a Swedish doctor who came to BNH quarterly for pain management mostly of the back and other joints. His treatment for me was injections to the spine. I went into the operating room midafternoon where going up through the base of the spine the doctor provided the treatment needed. An hour or so in recovery and then discharge from the hospital. I drove home pain free from Bangkok to Ban Chang, Rayong arriving around 8:00 that same evening. Dr Nooparat at BNH has been a true blessing. I would not trade him for any doctor I have seen in my 85 years of my life. My point for writing this is that based on what appears was an isolated incident, you cannot generalize that medical treatment in Thailand as inferior to other locations you may be familiar with. From my experience it is some of, if not the best treatment in the medical world.

he lost me when he said there was a stone still in the wound...you didnt look at the xray or you couldnt see it or feel it?
the whole story has more holes than swiss cheese

18 hours ago, DrJack54 said:

Bangkok hospital in UT just behind bar area is excellent hospital.

You opted to return to home country for treatment for finger.

Most likely due to cost.

Now post complaint. Really?

I thought Bangkok Hospital was a pretty good hospital, that's why I went there. I heard and read a lot of good stories about Bangkok Hospital (but also some bad stories). But in my case they failed to do some pretty basic wound cleaning, with proof of it on their own x-ray photo. So that's a valid complaint.

I have insurance so costs wouldn't be a significant problem. The main reason I opted to return home is that the expertise of Thai medical personnel could be doubtful, and that's something I don't want to risk. Sure the vast majority of patients are treated exceptionally well, but there are also cases where a Thai doctor just messes up. Furthermore in such case there is zero liability for anyone, neither there is a proper legal system, or even proper investigation, in any case something goes wrong. It's probably not my problem, but the well known practise of price hiking in Thai international hospitals to get as much money as possible from your insurance, is also a doubtful practise. And in case I need any aftercare, for example because it doesn't heal well or if there will be any complications, I prefer to be in my own country.

7 minutes ago, ChinChan said:

I prefer to be in my own country.

Good so your problems are solved no need to take a chance on either Thai Immigration or Thai hospital service. It might be best if you stay out of SEA.

24 minutes ago, wombat said:

he lost me when he said there was a stone still in the wound...you didnt look at the xray or you couldnt see it or feel it?
the whole story has more holes than swiss cheese

At Bangkok Hospital in Udon Thani they looked at the x-ray photo and cleaned my wounds. I couldn't feel or see if the wounds were cleaned properly, but the doctor said my hand was swollen and prone to infection. Shortly after that I returned to my home country and visited a hospital there. There I showed the same x-ray photo and they immediately saw that there was still a dirty stone stuck in my hand, so Bangkok Hospital didn't clean my wound properly. They said this stone was the reason that my hand was swollen and infected. Picture: in my country they cleaned the wound properly and removed the stone that Bangkok Hospital completely missed. The hospital in my country said it wasn't a small stone.

The style of writing, the choice of topic and certain similarities of writing, sarcasm and tone, remind me of a persistent Asian poster called Bob, then at least another two names, all fairly recent members, yet all kind of experiencing some kind unusual incidents of disaster, misfortune or incredible sexual encounters - which no-one else appears to experience here in Thailand. (I might be wrong on the last one - but you know what I mean)

Can anyone advise me please, on why I amongst many others on this forum, never, ever, seem to experience all these fantastical occasions. Are we living too safely, too seriously or too boringly normal lives, or have we been invaded by some ultra mega disaster-prone American, Canadian, Australian or British guy, (take your pick -or all of them), alien galactic forms, trying to examine our reactions to these incredible stories!

Meanwhile - I hope what's-his-name-this-time, gets his finger (or full forearm) sorted quickly back here in Thailand.

You poor thing ............... !

On 2/12/2026 at 4:55 PM, ChinChan said:

At Bangkok Hospital in Udon Thani they looked at the x-ray photo and cleaned my wounds. I couldn't feel or see if the wounds were cleaned properly, but the doctor said my hand was swollen and prone to infection. Shortly after that I returned to my home country and visited a hospital there. There I showed the same x-ray photo and they immediately saw that there was still a dirty stone stuck in my hand, so Bangkok Hospital didn't clean my wound properly. They said this stone was the reason that my hand was swollen and infected. Picture: in my country they cleaned the wound properly and removed the stone that Bangkok Hospital completely missed. The hospital in my country said it wasn't a small stone.

That's a lot of word salad that didn't answer my question.... A simple yes or no Would've sufficed