Do Thais Have To Pay To See A Doctor

[tallen1966]

When Thais get sick, do they have to pay to go see a doctor or a dentist? If so, how much?

[britmaveric]

Yes - depends on what treatment they need.

[frikkiedeboer]

When Thais get sick, do they have to pay to go see a doctor or a dentist? If so, how much?

my (half-thai) kids get medical treatment plus medicines for free. all you do is apply for a bad thong (gold card)-free. all thais have the option of taking advantage of the 30baht scheme. any procedure/treatment and the medicines,xrays etc have the price capped at 30baht. they pay only once per ailment treated, regardless of how long it takes or how many days in hospital or how many

xrays,etc. obviously this applies only to treatment in government hospitals, and does not cover cosmetic surgery.ie they can have a bad tooth pulled, or filled, but no crowns or chipped teeth fixed. the government hospitals offer excellent treatment and the staff are efficient. (first hand experience.)

do not fall for the "grandma fell down the stairs and i need to send her money" and other stories, or if you feel like helping out,send her 30baht.......

[Humphrey Bear]

I'm not sure on all aspects, but our kids get free treatment through the schools insurance scheme. I understand this is common to all schools and the parents pay a one-off fee for this.

The 35 baht scheme does for minor ailments, but serious treatment for those not working does not seem to be covered. I am open to correction on this, but both my wife and her mother have had extensive treatment that has had to be paid for. I have been present when the payments are made - but this may be because of the hospital chosen for treatment. Maybe the 'government' hospitals are not geared up for fancy treatments, or are thought to be less good because they are cut-price.

But with most Thais unable to afford expensive treatments, I am surprised that so many private hospitals exist if the government hospitals provide adequate treatment.

[bmanly]

When Thais get sick, do they have to pay to go see a doctor or a dentist? If so, how much?

my (half-thai) kids get medical treatment plus medicines for free. all you do is apply for a bad thong (gold card)-free. all thais have the option of taking advantage of the 30baht scheme. any procedure/treatment and the medicines,xrays etc have the price capped at 30baht. they pay only once per ailment treated, regardless of how long it takes or how many days in hospital or how many

xrays,etc. obviously this applies only to treatment in government hospitals, and does not cover cosmetic surgery.ie they can have a bad tooth pulled, or filled, but no crowns or chipped teeth fixed. the government hospitals offer excellent treatment and the staff are efficient. (first hand experience.)

do not fall for the "grandma fell down the stairs and i need to send her money" and other stories, or if you feel like helping out,send her 30baht.......

This is correct except for 1 proviso, you can only do it at the hospital you are registered at. For example if my wife broke her arm and she did not want to go to Rangsit General Hospital where she is registered then she would have to go to a local clinic or hospital and pay normal fees. It is not possible for say registered gold card users in say Khon Kaen to go and get treatment in say Songkla for 30 baht, they would have to pay the normal rate.

Another thing that can happen is that a local hospital that you may be registered at may not be well equiped enough to handle major surgery. I knew someone once who's Father needed major heart surgery but the local hospital could not do it. He was referred to another Government hospital 130 kilometres away and had to pay.

Generally the 30 baht system is pretty good but it is restricted to the one hospital where you are registered at.

[DonTron]

I arranged additional medical insurance for all my staff. Even thou they pay taxes its still not much that the Thai social security covers and for a few thousand bath more you can get really a great health insurance, so I can even send them (and their spouse/kids) to Bangkok Hospital for treatments.

[PeaceBlondie]

My Thai boyfriend has been covered for years under a 500 baht/month scheme that he pays in full when he's unemployed. When he's employed full-time past the probation period, he and his employer share the 500 baht/month.

My fellow teachers in the govt. schools, who are Thai govt. officers, are covered under a good enough plan that I bump into them in the private Sripat clinic of the big govt. hospital complex.

[ClaytonSeymour]

When Thais get sick, do they have to pay to go see a doctor or a dentist? If so, how much?

my (half-thai) kids get medical treatment plus medicines for free. all you do is apply for a bad thong (gold card)-free. all thais have the option of taking advantage of the 30baht scheme. any procedure/treatment and the medicines,xrays etc have the price capped at 30baht. they pay only once per ailment treated, regardless of how long it takes or how many days in hospital or how many

xrays,etc. obviously this applies only to treatment in government hospitals, and does not cover cosmetic surgery.ie they can have a bad tooth pulled, or filled, but no crowns or chipped teeth fixed. the government hospitals offer excellent treatment and the staff are efficient. (first hand experience.)

do not fall for the "grandma fell down the stairs and i need to send her money" and other stories, or if you feel like helping out,send her 30baht.......

This is correct except for 1 proviso, you can only do it at the hospital you are registered at. For example if my wife broke her arm and she did not want to go to Rangsit General Hospital where she is registered then she would have to go to a local clinic or hospital and pay normal fees. It is not possible for say registered gold card users in say Khon Kaen to go and get treatment in say Songkla for 30 baht, they would have to pay the normal rate.

Another thing that can happen is that a local hospital that you may be registered at may not be well equiped enough to handle major surgery. I knew someone once who's Father needed major heart surgery but the local hospital could not do it. He was referred to another Government hospital 130 kilometres away and had to pay.

Generally the 30 baht system is pretty good but it is restricted to the one hospital where you are registered at.

From first hand experience what you are saying is not true. My father in law was referred to two subsequent hospitals for major surgery & laser treatment - several operations in fact - but, he didn't have to pay any extra money for this.

[bmanly]

When Thais get sick, do they have to pay to go see a doctor or a dentist? If so, how much?

my (half-thai) kids get medical treatment plus medicines for free. all you do is apply for a bad thong (gold card)-free. all thais have the option of taking advantage of the 30baht scheme. any procedure/treatment and the medicines,xrays etc have the price capped at 30baht. they pay only once per ailment treated, regardless of how long it takes or how many days in hospital or how many

xrays,etc. obviously this applies only to treatment in government hospitals, and does not cover cosmetic surgery.ie they can have a bad tooth pulled, or filled, but no crowns or chipped teeth fixed. the government hospitals offer excellent treatment and the staff are efficient. (first hand experience.)

do not fall for the "grandma fell down the stairs and i need to send her money" and other stories, or if you feel like helping out,send her 30baht.......

This is correct except for 1 proviso, you can only do it at the hospital you are registered at. For example if my wife broke her arm and she did not want to go to Rangsit General Hospital where she is registered then she would have to go to a local clinic or hospital and pay normal fees. It is not possible for say registered gold card users in say Khon Kaen to go and get treatment in say Songkla for 30 baht, they would have to pay the normal rate.

Another thing that can happen is that a local hospital that you may be registered at may not be well equiped enough to handle major surgery. I knew someone once who's Father needed major heart surgery but the local hospital could not do it. He was referred to another Government hospital 130 kilometres away and had to pay.

Generally the 30 baht system is pretty good but it is restricted to the one hospital where you are registered at.

From first hand experience what you are saying is not true. My father in law was referred to two subsequent hospitals for major surgery & laser treatment - several operations in fact - but, he didn't have to pay any extra money for this.

Then we have a difference of opinion. From first hand experience with my Mother in law she was only going to get treatment for 30 baht in her local hospital where she was registered. She was not eligible anywhere else, can anybody else shed some light on this? Every other Thai person tells me that this is the case, pretty sure I'm right. Perhaps the other hospitals that took care of your Father in Law were affiliated in some way and in the same district. The 30 baht hospital system is not really a National system, unlike countries like Australia where you can walk into any public hospital in the country and get free treatment.

[sbk]

That is correct, it is valid only for where you live. One of our neighbors had to be referred to the mainland since the local hospital could not handle his surgery (can't handle any surgery for that matter, but that is a different story). He had to wait for the referral and approval to go through before he could travel to the mainland for his surgery (it was non-emergency, outpatient surgery).

I believe that you can go to the local hospital and get registered there as an inhabitant without needing to be on a tabien bahn however.

[ClaytonSeymour]

When Thais get sick, do they have to pay to go see a doctor or a dentist? If so, how much?

my (half-thai) kids get medical treatment plus medicines for free. all you do is apply for a bad thong (gold card)-free. all thais have the option of taking advantage of the 30baht scheme. any procedure/treatment and the medicines,xrays etc have the price capped at 30baht. they pay only once per ailment treated, regardless of how long it takes or how many days in hospital or how many

xrays,etc. obviously this applies only to treatment in government hospitals, and does not cover cosmetic surgery.ie they can have a bad tooth pulled, or filled, but no crowns or chipped teeth fixed. the government hospitals offer excellent treatment and the staff are efficient. (first hand experience.)

do not fall for the "grandma fell down the stairs and i need to send her money" and other stories, or if you feel like helping out,send her 30baht.......

This is correct except for 1 proviso, you can only do it at the hospital you are registered at. For example if my wife broke her arm and she did not want to go to Rangsit General Hospital where she is registered then she would have to go to a local clinic or hospital and pay normal fees. It is not possible for say registered gold card users in say Khon Kaen to go and get treatment in say Songkla for 30 baht, they would have to pay the normal rate.

Another thing that can happen is that a local hospital that you may be registered at may not be well equiped enough to handle major surgery. I knew someone once who's Father needed major heart surgery but the local hospital could not do it. He was referred to another Government hospital 130 kilometres away and had to pay.

Generally the 30 baht system is pretty good but it is restricted to the one hospital where you are registered at.

From first hand experience what you are saying is not true. My father in law was referred to two subsequent hospitals for major surgery & laser treatment - several operations in fact - but, he didn't have to pay any extra money for this.

Then we have a difference of opinion. From first hand experience with my Mother in law she was only going to get treatment for 30 baht in her local hospital where she was registered. She was not eligible anywhere else, can anybody else shed some light on this? Every other Thai person tells me that this is the case, pretty sure I'm right. Perhaps the other hospitals that took care of your Father in Law were affiliated in some way and in the same district. The 30 baht hospital system is not really a National system, unlike countries like Australia where you can walk into any public hospital in the country and get free treatment.

I can assure you that he had one operation in Buriram & then further operations in Bangkok; all done under the 30 baht system. My Wife's in bed, as she's up early for work in the morning so, I can't elaborate any further at this moment in time. I'll certainly ask her though when she gets home tomorrow evening.

[barryofthailand]

If the local hospital cannot perform the surgery you need they will refer you to a hospital that can, usually in the same province. Their are no additional charges. the confusion arrises where A thai is registered up country and lives in pattaya, they have to go home to participate in the thai gold card. The gold card is only good in the province they are registered in.

Barry

[citizen33]

If the local hospital cannot perform the surgery you need they will refer you to a hospital that can, usually in the same province. Their are no additional charges. the confusion arrises where A thai is registered up country and lives in pattaya, they have to go home to participate in the thai gold card. The gold card is only good in the province they are registered in.

Barry

Many expats seem unaware of the universal coverage health reforms introduced in Thailand from 2001 onwards. People wanting to join the UC scheme are registered with a contracting unit for primary care (a CUP) which must contain a hospital and community services. Patients cannot present themselves to a hospital in another CUP without a referral, except where they require emergency care. The CUP receives a capitation-based payment from the National Health Security Office (the purchaser) that it uses to fund local service units and to pay for referrals to other hospitals. The hospitals and service units also benefit from the 30 baht co-payments, though the Minister of Public Health has announced that these will be ended (making the service free). Prior to this change only children, older people and the poor had a special 'taw tahaan' version of the gold card entitling them to free care. Critics of the 30 baht project suggest that the Civil Servant Medical Benefits Scheme and the Social Security Scheme (for contributing employees outside the civil service) offer superior care. Plans to merge the schemes under the original universal coverage reform policies have so far been resisted. Incidentally many who were formerly on the civil service grades, such as many university teachers and certain MoPH employees, have been regraded as public service 'officers' under the reforms of the public sector bureaucracy, and have lost their civil service benefits. They find that instead of being covered by the CSMBS they must rely on 30 baht health care.

Edited September 14, 2007 by citizen33

[bmanly]

citizen33 you have summed it up very well and you are spot on. It brings me back to my earlier post that if you are registered with a CUP in say Khon Kaen then that is where you must present yourself first off. You can not for example walk into to Songkla General Hospital when you are on holidays down there and get treated for 30 baht, you will have to pay. Thanks for your informative post, cheers.

[astromash]

Can someone just clarify what this 'gold card' is and how it relates to the 30 baht scheme?

Thanks.

[citizen33]

Can someone just clarify what this 'gold card' is and how it relates to the 30 baht scheme?

Thanks.

The gold card is the entitlement card given to members registered with the UC scheme (i.e. the thirty baht scheme). It comes in two versions: one requiring the 30 baht co-payment and one giving free care