Hospital

[jusmine36]

how are you think about san paulo hospital ?

[tuktukmike]

If you need a medical for say your work permit then fine.

If you need real medical treatment then not so sure.

Mike.

[Governor]

Went there a couple of days ago to get treatment for an injury to my hand and I was completely satisfied.

I was seen immedialtely and the treatment was prompt and caring, it might not be the cheapest place to go for treatment but I have no complaints at all.

It might be different for more complex problems.

[tuktukmike]

This subject does also raise many questions.

With so many retired people coming out here to live should they not consider the health care situation.

If for instance someone has a heart attack what would the response be, ie do the local ambulances carry the right equipment and are the staff trained in this event.

From what I have seen the answer seems to be No.

Perhaps elderly people should make themselves more aware of the medical facillities before deciding to retire out here.

Mike.

[PeaceBlondie]

My former neighbor, who posts on TVisa, moved to BKK because he could not get adequate care at Hua Hin (Sao Paulo). I moved to CMai because even the BKK doctors had no clue as to what to do, and at least the GP at Sao Paolo told me honestly, "I have no idea what's wrong with you." Lack of proper medical care is possibly the biggest reason NOT to live in Hua Hin, in my opinion.

Sao Paolo has been the source of more than one horror story. My annual physical was okay, and they seemed to do their lab tests okay, too.

[dukkha]

Of course you are quite correct PB...I spent a night in the San Paolo ICU, angina so I was told.

For my own peace of mind I decided that rather than travelling to BKK each three months for

check ups I needed to live in Bkk, 7 minutes from BNH...the stress that Hua Hin did not

provide adequate medical care was in no way contributing to my well being..I dont regret

the move one iota, do miss the beach walks but a pool and fitness centre in my condo caters

for my exercise regime quite well...Am 62 in a few seconds and as we all know ones health

becomes an important issue in the ageing process...I think mentally as well as physically the

move has been a positive one, so much more for me as a retiree to be interested in here,

after a while the beach is not enough to keep the synapses firing...I have a great cardio who

listens to my endless litany of hypochondriasis with a smile and a level of care I did not

experience in Hua Hin....The cost, well, the peace of mind far outweighs that issue..so yes,

to reiterate what PB said, one should certainly factor in medical care if you want to live in

Hua Hin...but that is my story, others may have another opinion...time to plunge into the

pool for my third lap session today... Dukkha

[jayhech]

This subject does also raise many questions.

With so many retired people coming out here to live should they not consider the health care situation.

If for instance someone has a heart attack what would the response be, ie do the local ambulances carry the right equipment and are the staff trained in this event.

From what I have seen the answer seems to be No.

Perhaps elderly people should make themselves more aware of the medical facillities before deciding to retire out here.

Mike.

At first when I saw this topic I thought I would pass but then I had to read it. Tuktukmike and other people I'm hopeful that my post will save some lives. I have to let you who read this post know that I have no benefit from anybody, be it other hospitals nearby like Hua Hin Hospital, Thanarat Military Camp Hospital or the one which is one hour away (providing it's not rush hour) from Hua Hin--Petcharat Hospital. I wouldn't want to touch this hospital, San Paolo, be it to promote it or to sabotage it but I just hope that if you can wait and if you have time...drive on somewhere else. I hope my experience can be helpful for those who just relocated there and are thinking of relocate there.

25th May 2006, my brother got a telephone call from my father that he couldn't drive home, he felt dizzy and his chest felt like it was bursting. My brother found my father in the back seat of his car alone parking and waiting, by that time my father became pale and he was sweating a lot. My sister who was working for my father also arrived right after to the scene once my brother called her they didn't know what's going on but decided it's best to take our father to a hospital. The image of big, white, clean building of San Paolo did a bit of a miracle because that's the first place they thought of taking him. Although they argued a bit to take him to Petchrat which is like an hour away, would be faster because they were on Cha-Am - Pranburi bypass, but still by the look of our father they thought San Paolo should be best.

My sister called me and my other sister. When I arrived at the hospital I saw they put my dad in a wheelchair and I jumped out of my car letting my bf drive on to look for parking. I ran to my father and tapped him on his shoulder lightly he turned to me he looked quite allright. He waved at me and he smiled at me calmly and he was glad to see me. I walked with him to the emergency room they laid him on the examining bed and the nurses start to ask him how he felt if his chest hurt and if he could breathe. My dad told them that the chest was not in pain but he had difficulty trying to breathe. Did I say they lay him flat? Yes, they laid him falt on his back. And they were attaching things that they said would check my father's heart and how it beat. They started to take things off my father's like wallet, watch, and ring, which they gave to me later on. But what puzzled and made us furious to these days was that they kept asking if my father was allergic to any medicine for 10 minutes. 10 full minutes they kept asking the same bloody question which we said "no" "no" "no" and we just hoped that they would do something that would help he feel better.

The nurses were walking around, asking same silly question, not knowing what to do exactly and no doctor were called in. There were like 4 nurses around at that time. Then 10 minutes after my father arrived he choked and we thought it's his last breath. It took them 10 minutes and my father's choke that they knew they should call this insensitive, pompous, not-knowing-what-to-do doctor they had in house to do the cpr. They tried to pump my dad's heart for one hour during the time all the students were called to see my father being pumped on the chest. And it's not only students who walked around to see our dad, there're maids, people who didn't look like they belong in ER. We cried we prayed but no, our dad passed away.

1. Was it his time that he should die that day?

2. Was it not his time if the nurses recognized what he was having actually symtomps of heart-attack?

3. Was it not his time if the hospital had up-to-standard treatment ready for this sort of thing?

4. Was it not his time if the nurses and doctor were actually trained?

To answer tuktukmike, no, they don't have any procedure to deal with heart attack.

This hospital overcharges everyone they see they can but that day they didn't have the nerve to come to us and ask for a satang because they knew that they were uneducated bunch of space-waste people who claim themselves to be medical service providers.

When we bade our father goodbye and that we had to arrange temples and all things you need to do when your loved ones pass away, I walked to my car and I heard 2 female nurses and a male nurse in the reception hall laughing at my father incident while they were mimicking one of their colleagues' gestures of CPR. How gracious. A hospital that's supposed to cure people and be sympathetic to their clients (I use "clients" for this hospital becuase for them no one is patient...they're just after your money), but instead they're just laughing and making fun of a dead person's incident???? I swore to myself right there and then that I would stop anyone I know going to that hospital.

My sister told me later on that when my father arrived with those symtomps the hospital receptionist wouldn't let my father in the ER because they wanted my father to "register" himself to the hospital first. Was it because they wanted to see if my father could afford their so-called treatment? I don't know. My sister had to shout at them that my father's not well and need immediate care. I don't know what changed their mind easily though. A big, furious shout??? Or if my brother happened to carry a few thousand baht notes??? If you have insurance keep the card at hand who know how many lives were left lying dead in front of the hospital just because they thought you can't pay them. I mean those hospitals. I understand they have costs for opening hospital...it's business after all but hey...how about humanity. Feeling and caring for other human beings. If any hospital investers are reading my post here, try to imagine that what if your children or any loved ones drive out there somewhere then there's an accident, being left alone waiting for a big prove of big money to come. Mate!

I was in the position to expose this hospital but I chose not to because I know they have good legal protection, including dirty tricks from local mafias. My family knows very well now that we should stay away from it and my friends will be told the same. If you ask any expats living there, they will say the same. The military hospital in Pranburi is surely treating diseases and sickness better than San Paolo but one very big drawback, they don't speak English. Petcharat in muang Petchburi on Petchkasem Rd. 1 hour away from Hua Hin is the next best thing. If you can wait, and if you have time, and if you love yourself and your family and friends, go there. If you have more time like 3 hours, go to Bangkok to international hospitals like Bumrungrad or BNH. Bumrungrad, Sukhumvit Soi1, is very good and not as expensive as BNH. BNH, Convent Road--between Silom and Sathorn Rd., is also very good but they added costs on their big renovation they did last year. Bangkok Hospital is very very good at healing heart attack and they provide special center to deal with this especially, however, the traffic around the hospital is always heavy, even heavier on weekend. We thought of calling them to send a helicopter if our dad was recovered from the choke but no chance for us because, once again, those people in San Paolo don't even know what basic symtomps for heart attack are. I wish I knew. I wish I read about it, about heart attack, before it happened. My father was a healthy man and he's only 69 years old we, his siblings, his friends, never ever thought he would pass on this fast. Everyone was shocked but I just thought I wish I wish I wish. I wish I knew San Paolo was not the place for our father.

Once again, if it's not too bad and if it's not an emergency don't call San Paolo. I don't live in Hua Hin anymore otherwise I could help with the number but there's a polyclinic on the intersection going up to BKK. You can find the number easily from guidebooks like Hua Hin Guide. If you know where the minibus service station is, you should probably have seen the poloyclinic. This place is a branch of Petchrat Hospital (please don't think I'm tryng to promote this hospital I wish there were more hospitals I could mention but unfortunately there are not many at all). The polyclinic opens daily but only until 8pm each day. However, if there's an amergency, you can call them and they will provide ambulance which will take you straight to Petchrat Hospital. Before I left Hua Hin, Hua Hin Hospital is renovating and building a new heart center and a new ER. It's supposed to be finished by now but I guess things slow down. They plan to hire specialists from Bangkok hospitals to station there regularly, rotating, if it really happens I think it will be a big improvement for Hua Hin and its residents.

There are so many other death and over-charged cases by San Paolo...which I won't mention but this is all I can share straight from my own experience.

[PeaceBlondie]

I would only add that the staff at Sao Paolo, other than the physicians, aren't very fluent in English. I had no intention of editing either of the above posts, but on the next day I remembered to delete one URL and the curse words.

[taxexile]

i know a senior nurse who resigned from her job at san paulo because of the incompetence and poor practice that she saw there...... to say nothing of the overcharging of tourists.

[bangkapiboy]

I'm sorry for your loss jayhech.

[JimmyGreaves]

Yep. Also heard many a bad story about San paulo. Girl friend took the ambulance from Polyclinic in HH to Petcharat, phetburi to be treated and was very satisfied with the doctors there.

[tuktukmike]

One of the reasons I posted about the standard of medical care was from first hand experiance.

Myself and wife were on the motorcycle at the back of the temple (poolsuk rd) where all the little Thai resturants are.

We noticed a farang guy lying on the pavement with a small crowd of people around him, we of course stopped and tried to make sure he was ok as my wife used to be a nurse and I have had extensive CPR training when I worked for St Dunstans in Brighton.

The guy was breathing but was somewhat pale, we asked if an ambulance had been called and the reply was yes.

About 35mins later one arrived, what happened next was amazing.

1 I can only presume doctor and 2 nurses jumped out, we thought at last some medical care, Wrong.

They proceeded to talk to the policeman who was there for the next 5mins without even talking to the guy or even so much as checking his pulse.

So I reiterate, If you are going to consider retiring in any country then check the medical facillities first,

Mike.

Edited September 3, 2007 by tuktukmike

[Netfan]

The bottom line at SP is that if you go for emergencies (or other) where it is obvious what the the problem is, they are not bad. For ANY kind of diagnosis, stay away. Stay very far away. The new hospital should improve health care in HH.

Edited September 5, 2007 by Netfan

[procyon]

Anyone even contemplating going to SP should read the comments on Hua Hin's own forum, there are plenty of them.

[Pundi64]

how are you think about san paulo hospital ?

Let me put it this way, they have 3 health schemes there, for taking a physical, plan 1, plan 2, & plan 3. These include a less to a more extensive testing. My wife who is Thai, asked the head nurse what plan offered a mammogram, and the nurses answer was, what is a mammogram? So with that answer she went to BKK. Also she had an ear ache, and a little hearing loss and the Dr. there she had ear drum problems and she would be deaf permanently. She again rushed up to BKK, and they flushed her ear out, and said it would be fine in a couple days, just a little inflammation due to ear wax. I think the cost for San Paulo's great diagnosis, was somewhere in the neighborhood of 1,000 (something) baht.

You decide, with your judgement on San Paulo's staffs expertise !! Mine is zero---------- in a 1 - 10 rating.

[huainnews]

how are you think about san paulo hospital ?

Let me put it this way, they have 3 health schemes there, for taking a physical, plan 1, plan 2, & plan 3. These include a less to a more extensive testing. My wife who is Thai, asked the head nurse what plan offered a mammogram, and the nurses answer was, what is a mammogram? So with that answer she went to BKK. Also she had an ear ache, and a little hearing loss and the Dr. there she had ear drum problems and she would be deaf permanently. She again rushed up to BKK, and they flushed her ear out, and said it would be fine in a couple days, just a little inflammation due to ear wax. I think the cost for San Paulo's great diagnosis, was somewhere in the neighborhood of 1,000 (something) baht.

You decide, with your judgement on San Paulo's staffs expertise !! Mine is zero---------- in a 1 - 10 rating.

I also had ear wax problems and was told by my doctor to go to Sao Paulo where I think the bill would be about 2,000 baht.

Instead I visited the International Clonic who advised me to go to see Dr Worowat who has a small clinic across the road from the mini Tesco Lotus store. Definitely recommended, very cheerful, very professional, the cost. 80 Baht!

[PeaceBlondie]

Sao Paolo is the only place I ever had my earwax removed. Including the doctor's diagnosis and the extensive time with the nurse, maybe it was 1,000 baht. The physical exam I had there basically agreed with the one I got a month later in Chiang Mai (I couldn't trust the SP results). Their hematology lab seemed okay, but I'm no plebotomist. The general physician and dermatologist didn't have a clue. The guy behind the reception counter was cute, though.

[Pundi64]

how are you think about san paulo hospital ?

Hummmmm ???????????????????????????????AHAAAAAAAAAAAAA????????????????????????MUMMMMMMMMMMMM??????????????

sorry just can not think of one good thing about it.