Cobra Attack, Hospital Rips Off The Farang?

[PadThaiGuy]

It's a nationwide policy to charge the farang more, more, more.

Why would some upcountry clinic would give a farang a local price?

I would be shocked to hear you paid the local price. 99% chance you paid more than a Thai.

2,000thb isn't alot of money but the OP was just asking if he paid the local price? That's all.

[YoungFarang13]

i did not read his story but want to say why not "blue eyed farang" or "60 kilo farang"....why do you decide to say hospital ripped off farang and not ripped off human being?

I really think you need to read the story. Do you understand the meaning of the word "farang"?

So, which part of "farang" didn't you understand?

ok, i read the story. they did not tell him the charge was because he was a farang. so you can replace "ripped off farang" with "ripped off man willing to be ripped off"... a day does not go by where Thais dont try to rip eachother off. Taxis take the long way with Thais just like farangs. Its not racism, you are just an easy target because you don't stand up for yourself and choose to become a victim. Hence "ripped off farang".

[traveller5000]

Let's see...1 Australian dollar = about 30 Thai Baht. Therefore 3 000 Thai Baht = about AUD$100.00. Therefore, 2 000 Baht = about AUD$65.00. WOW!!! That's a lot of money. I'd be complaining to the PM if I were you. As a matter of fact, recommend another coup so you get your money back in the scuffle. Geez, if anybody tried to save my eyesight for this amount of money, I'd be happy to be blind.

Listen buddy, you didn't get over charged. I stayed in Pattaya Memorial for 3 days whilst I recovered from Dengue Fever. It cost me about 10 000 Baht, which included meals & treatment. You'd better start doing your sums.

or about 70+ NZ dollars. anyhow.

Ok, the thing is, after the ordeal I asked the guy how much venom actually went in his eye, he said very little because most of it went on the cheek and eyelid (he closed his eye immediately). Then of what was there he washed IMMEDIATELY. and then again after the snake was dead (shortly after). We also got soaked by the songran bucket throwers on the way to the hospital so this probably helped in some way also.

When we got to the hospital I didn't see the doctor ask any questions at all. Just sitting at his desk writing something. He was straight in the eye wash for 15 minutes. Finally I ask the doctor what's going on, he says "oh him. this is a very serious case, he case lose his eye, yes, he might lose is eye". Which was bs considering the you need lots of venom in the eye and not immediately washed for this to happen. (I checked on the net).

So the point is I don't mind forking out x amount of baht, even if I get a little overcharged, but I do expect a reasonably realistic diagnosis by the doctor instead of scare tactics.

[lioness]

so now we know the guy could have lost his eye. The story is getting bigger with each telling.

[traveller5000]

i did not read his story but want to say why not "blue eyed farang" or "60 kilo farang"....why do you decide to say hospital ripped off farang and not ripped off human being?

So why you call yourself "youngfarang13" if you don't like the word "farang" so much? shouldn't you call your "younglady13" or "younghumanbeing" or something ?

[digitele]

2,000 is fair enough. All of you were lucky, a cobra is one mean ass snake when cornered. Count your blessings.

Imagine if it had gotten into the house unnoticed and bit someone later. And the value having a dog. Good doggie!

Now another snakebite joke...

3 guys go on a camping, fishing trip far off in the wilderness.

One guy while taking a leak is bitten by a rattlesnake on his penis. The other 2 are in shock.

They are afraid to move him due the concern of speeding up the venom to his heart.

They decide to go to the nearest town for help. They get to town, find the only doctor, but he is too busy to go with them.

He tells them they can do the emergency treatment themselves. Cut the wound, suck out the venom, tie it off etc.

They race back to their friend.

'

Where's the doctor?'

'He couldn't come, he had other emergencies'

He couldn't come! Well what did he say?!!!!

'He says you are going to die'

[colino]

i didn't think the spitting cobra in Thailand ?????????

and 2000 baht for a night in hospital with treatment is ok depending on the room he had private rooms in the hospital near me are 1000 baht a night a ward room is 350 baht

[Dakhar]

i didn't think the spitting cobra in Thailand ?????????

and 2000 baht for a night in hospital with treatment is ok depending on the room he had private rooms in the hospital near me are 1000 baht a night a ward room is 350 baht

That is what she said, but I told her that if you keep provoking that snake it would eventually spit..... which it did. Like I said she demanded a thousand baht, but I thought I gave her the shaft on the deal. Latter I heard from her sister that she told her that I screwed her royally. I don't know why she felt bent over about the whole deal, I told her not to play with the snake in that manner. This particular snake usually likes to hide in caves, and is not used to being handled.

[way2muchcoffee]

How is it that you are responsible for a girl playing with a snake Dakhar? It's not like your dog bit her or something.

[seagull]

"Ripped off", "Scammed". I would supposed that when a person uses these words, it would meant a substantial difference in pricing. What does the OP suggest the prevailing rate that he should pay as a foreigner ? Bht 1500 or Bht 1800 ? Or even at Bht 500 ! considering that a person (the patient) stands to lose his or her eyesight, this is a small price to pay. "Principle" ? What principle ? Baloney me !

As most posters had indicated, that this overcharging for farangs are the norm, if you can call it overcharging. This is where priveleges of citizenship (of thailand) precedes that of a foreigner. "Ripped off", no. I don't think so.

[klikster]

Great story.....until the last paragraph. You need to work on those trolling skills

You're a twit.

In the meantime & aside from the "troll" accusers, do you have any 3 inch roller bandages available? You should have, as all Thai households should have, at least 6 x 3 inch roller bandages for such things as snake bites. These things can easily save a life.

The person who came to get the cobra obviously knew nothing about cobras ie they can spit venom up to about 3 metres.

More useful info is available on this thread;

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?sh...hl=constrictive

I think I recall that cobra venom is a neurotoxin = attacks the nervous system .. and sure as heck the web confirms it. How will bandages prevent the neurotoxin from spreading in the nervous system? A tourniquet can be effective for slowing the spread of hematoxin venom .. but poorly applied, may be less effective than one might presume .. even detrimental if urgency is not presumed (because of the tourniquet).

Your citation (of your own post) would seem to be in error.

[YoungFarang13]

i did not read his story but want to say why not "blue eyed farang" or "60 kilo farang"....why do you decide to say hospital ripped off farang and not ripped off human being?

So why you call yourself "youngfarang13" if you don't like the word "farang" so much? shouldn't you call your "younglady13" or "younghumanbeing" or something ?

i am just using the word to describe myself, he is making an insuitation (racism) without proof or reasoning to support that he was overcharged because he was a farang and not because they thought he was a moron.

[ratcatcher]

Is there any possibility of recovering some money from the Thais who ate the Cream of Cobra soup?

After all it came from your house when it was dead. I reckon B500 would be a fair charge for such a delicacy?

[Thaiboxer]

Cobra venom can easily blind you, so I'd say you got off lucky. Two thousand Baht is not a lot to pay considering the treatment you got; count your blessings as others have said.

Maybe you can get yourself a mongoose, they can be domesticated and cobras definitely don't like them!

[Scott]

I've spent a fair amount of time getting medical care and also have had my elderly mother over here who got sick and a few other relatives who've gotten sick/injured. I also have a very close Thai friend with a medical condition which has required periodic and extensive hospital care. I haven't run into anything that really amounts to double pricing in medical care--and that doesn't mean it doesn't exist.

I have run into Dr's. who who are particularly careful with farang patients. More so than they would be with a Thai and thus they are likely to give more procedures. For example, when a lot of local people go to the Dr with a sore throat and cold, they get a bag of pills and are sent on their way. My mother (who iwas nearly 90) had the same thing, but they did a throat culture (and called with the results), gave her a reasonably good checking over and medicine that was appropriate.

The fact that some of the medial institutions are erring on the side of caution is good. In this case, 2000 baht seems about right to me. Your GF is full of crap. I have a feeling if it would have been a close relative or her child, the cost would have been cheap.

[Chrubble]

One thing that pissed me off is that I could have prevented the strike. while they were prying the wood with the crowbar I had a soft long haired broom covering the entrance to the hole to guard agaist this very attack. On two occasions they pushed me away as if to say, "hey we are the experts let us handle this". geez.

It was a basic Thai style hospital. Nothing special.

AMAZING THAILAND! only in Thailand you can visit a hospital without insurance and ONLY pay 2000 baht! "It was a basic Thai style hospital. Nothing special" Are you so special? get real! you are lucky that you live in a area / country that your neighbours want to help you.... can you imagine any other place that you can say i have a cobra in my room and neighbours rush in to help you.

AMAZING....

It's true, man! My neighbors came running for both of my in-house cobra visitations. I love Thailand. They don't call me when they have cobras ... I hope someday I can return the favor for someone somehow.

[kmart]

My neighbour was on life support after confronting a snake in his garden. He saw a long stripy snake-like object sticking out of a bush, and grabbed its head, twisted its neck, stamped on its head, and proceeded to stamp the entire remaining length of its body...

"Well then, surely it must have been dead?" I asked him. "What happened next?"

"I continued stamping down its body, until I came to the biggest pair of tiger's <deleted> I'd ever seen." He replied. *rimshot*

[myauq]

It was a big one, about 1.5 meters long or longer and easily as fat as a large tube of toothpaste.

classic

[Wrong Turn]

The neighbour possibly saved your life. Is your life worth 2000bt?

I don't know what the fair rates are. Perhaps b/c you went to the hospital with him there was a little padding.

But honestly, at 2,000 B, I'd let it go.

[JohnBanPrang]

My dog got spit at by a cobra, right in the face.

2 days in (dog) hospital in Khorat: 3300 Baht.

Thai friends looked at me like I came from another planet when I told them the price.

Lucky you where dealing with humans. Much cheaper.

[clausewitz]

Had a small heat rash a month ago. Had it checked at Bumrungrad by doctor, prescribed some cream. Cost 2600 baht. Seemed reasonable price to me, though it took almost an hour counting the waiting, no meals thrown in.

[imaneggspurt]

$50, seems to me some have been in thailand too long,......

[imaneggspurt]

its not about the money, it is the principle. The girlfriend says I probably got overcharged but I wanted a second opinion.

One thing that pissed me off is that I could have prevented the strike.

Stop asking for opinions here, go to the hospital in question and ask for their schedule of charges. There is not a hospital I have found that will not explain there system of charges(as weird as they can be). It appears you really should know! If your living in the area, chances are you are going to need the hospital services again. It's not rocket science.

In addition to this, do it yourself. DO NOT TAKE YOUR GIRL FRIEND as a translater. Hospitals always have someone with English basic enough to communicate services and prices to you, they would more than likely appreciate the fact you are doing this yourself, you might learn a little Thai, and you might gain a little credit in their eyes as well.

And with the quote in RED your being real m..r..n. If that's what you really think, then do it yourself next time. YOU asked for help........ you GOT it! It is not difficult. Next time, leave the door open, go for a 2 day holiday to the beach and when you come back the snake is gone! Easy as that, and you could have enjoyed your 2000 baht on a nice bungalow. Snakes do not want to hang around with humans, believe me.........

And i can see why !

[OlRedEyes]

OP, the fishing's really fine in this part of the world innit?

[h90]

I am sorry for the snake

[astral]

Surely you have the bill, which will detail all the charges??

2000baht does not sound excessive for a night plus treatment.

[Heng]

2,000 Baht sounds about right for 20 minutes of scraping the tartar from your teeth at Bangkok Pattaya Hospital. And that doesn't include a bed or sponge bath.

[jasreeve17]

As a whinging foreigner I'd initially be unhappy about a 2,000 baht bill too.

If I then took a step back and considered the costs, I'd be happy. Thai hospitals seem to offer good service at a good rate. I've been to a couple of upcountry hospitals on occassion and they were far superior to North Middx Hospital that I used to attend in London, never mind my times at the luxury hospitals in Bangkok where the costs are still proportionatey very low. Sirirat, Bumrumgrad... pound for pound the best hospitals (treatment / cost) in the World.

In London, I'd have waited several hours (spent with surly nurses and admin) awaiting a doctor, been treated badly and sent home - all at a large cost...

[This the first and last time I will praise this country! - The hospitals are very very good and cheap. ]

Edited September 25, 2008 by jasreeve17

[chuang]

its not about the money, it is the principle. The girlfriend says I probably got overcharged but I wanted a second opinion.

Holy snake, 2000 baht and you said it's rip-off..you must be hibernating in your village for too long..go out and see Thailand. also ask yourself what 200 baht can get you in your country.....

[Lopburi99]

its not about the money, it is the principle. The girlfriend says I probably got overcharged but I wanted a second opinion.

I have difficulty accepting you saying the money wasn't important. 2,000 baht to treat a cobra attack is peanuts, but choosing to use the words "rip off" in your original post implies your anger, not inquisitiveness. Or maybe your girfriend just stirred up your paranoia.

As others stated earlier, a farang often pays a premium. If the victim had been a Thai person earning only about 6-8,000 baht per month no doubt the bill would have been much less (one could argue rightly so) - but you're not Thai. So accept it, live with it, life here is still very inexpensive. Be happy. Thailand overall is great.

Edited September 25, 2008 by Lopburi99