Unbelievable Hospital Wards.

[happylarry]

My wife's young nephew had a terrible accident on Saturday and scalded both his complete hands, arms shoulders, chest and neck and had to be admitted to the government hospital in Korat. It was so bad that the skin was hanging off his arms in shreds and I do hope he recovers in time because he is a nice little lad.

Anyway that is just to explain what I was doing in the hospital.

We took the lift to the fourth floor in one of the buildings and as the lift doors opened I could not believe my eyes.........every bit of space in the lift waiting areas and all the corridors were taken up by occupied beds. When I queried with my wife if there was some sort of epidemic going on she told me it was like this all the time in government run hospitals.

I can remember outcrys in the UK when a patient was left in a corridor for half an hour and here we have dozens of people staying full time in beds that are about eighteen inches apart from each other.

I dont enjoy paying the premiums for my very expensive health insurance but I am so glad that if I do have the need for a hospital stay that it will be in a private room with personal service.

HL

[hansnl]

My wife's young nephew had a terrible accident on Saturday and scalded both his complete hands, arms shoulders, chest and neck and had to be admitted to the government hospital in Korat. It was so bad that the skin was hanging off his arms in shreds and I do hope he recovers in time because he is a nice little lad.

Anyway that is just to explain what I was doing in the hospital.

We took the lift to the fourth floor in one of the buildings and as the lift doors opened I could not believe my eyes.........every bit of space in the lift waiting areas and all the corridors were taken up by occupied beds. When I queried with my wife if there was some sort of epidemic going on she told me it was like this all the time in government run hospitals.

I can remember outcrys in the UK when a patient was left in a corridor for half an hour and here we have dozens of people staying full time in beds that are about eighteen inches apart from each other.

I dont enjoy paying the premiums for my very expensive health insurance but I am so glad that if I do have the need for a hospital stay that it will be in a private room with personal service.

HL

Well, that is nice!

What is the higher meaning behind this message?

You like to feel apart from the "locals"?

So very high above them.

Man, I choose to be in a state run hospital, because I want to feel the same as anybody.

I do have to pay for everything, but I refuse to pay Premium Prices for the same amount of care.

So what, I am not in a private ward?

I was in the state hospital in Khon Kaen for a few days, and my neighbour was a monk.

He spoke some English, and I talked a lot to him, about a lot of things.

I came out of the hospital, better in body, and I think better in mind.

The care was the same, only a lot cheaper!

[MISTERBONK]

Well, that is nice!

What is the higher meaning behind this message?

You like to feel apart from the "locals"?

So very high above them.

Man, I choose to be in a state run hospital, because I want to feel the same as anybody.

I do have to pay for everything, but I refuse to pay Premium Prices for the same amount of care.

So what, I am not in a private ward?

I was in the state hospital in Khon Kaen for a few days, and my neighbour was a monk.

He spoke some English, and I talked a lot to him, about a lot of things.

I came out of the hospital, better in body, and I think better in mind.

The care was the same, only a lot cheaper!

PRAT!

The OP was merely pointing out the disgusting state of Thai government hospitals. Half of the problem is that the nurses don't nurse and expect the families to stay and look after ALL the patients needs. Check out the families and there would be more room for patients.

[bergen]

Well, that is nice!

What is the higher meaning behind this message?

You like to feel apart from the "locals"?

So very high above them.

Man, I choose to be in a state run hospital, because I want to feel the same as anybody.

I do have to pay for everything, but I refuse to pay Premium Prices for the same amount of care.

So what, I am not in a private ward?

I was in the state hospital in Khon Kaen for a few days, and my neighbour was a monk.

He spoke some English, and I talked a lot to him, about a lot of things.

I came out of the hospital, better in body, and I think better in mind.

The care was the same, only a lot cheaper!

PRAT!

The OP was merely pointing out the disgusting state of Thai government hospitals. Half of the problem is that the nurses don't nurse and expect the families to stay and look after ALL the patients needs. Check out the families and there would be more room for patients.

The nurses are not paid to nurse. They are parking beds in the corridors.

Fortunately there are some people who prefer government hospitals, which makes it easier for others to get quick access to private hopitals, where there is better hope for some decent care

[happylarry]

You know its amazing how different people get different meanings from the same set of words.

Hansni I dont think a single person that has met me in my entire life would describe me as posh, which isnt surprising as I was brought up in a council flat in Notting Hill Gate in West london. (and that was before it became a multi million pound designer area)

MisterBonk had the right interpretation and I would like to thank him for coming to my defense like that.

I cant speak about Khon Kaen hospital or any others as I havent been in any others to witness the way they are run, but that hospital yesterday took my breath away.

However to look at it from another angle it is admirable that they keep admitting patients and not turning them away as they would in the western world. Assuming of course that the treatment they receive is up to scratch, which would be surprising due to the ratio of nurses to patients. And it is true about the patients family members being encouraged to stay, to give individual care.

Hope you understand my point now Hansni.

HL

[onnut]

Well, that is nice!

What is the higher meaning behind this message?

You like to feel apart from the "locals"?

So very high above them.

Man, I choose to be in a state run hospital, because I want to feel the same as anybody.

I do have to pay for everything, but I refuse to pay Premium Prices for the same amount of care.

So what, I am not in a private ward?

I was in the state hospital in Khon Kaen for a few days, and my neighbour was a monk.

He spoke some English, and I talked a lot to him, about a lot of things.

I came out of the hospital, better in body, and I think better in mind.

The care was the same, only a lot cheaper!

idiot!

I think you lost your mind.

I am glad I pay Insurance, Private hospitals are great with great service. you dont need to worry about you family having to take care of you.

[Gary A]

My wife's nephew recently fell out of a tree and broke both bones in his forearm just below the elbow. I think all the government hospitals are overcrowded with patients stuffed everywhere there is room. My wife and the rest of the family took turns staying with him 24/7. It was NOT a good experience for the boy.

I'll continue to pay my health insurance premiums so I don't have to put up with those conditions. Anyone who has a problem with me NOT wanting to be hospitalized like the regular Thais can kiss my doot!

[citizen33]

My wife's nephew recently fell out of a tree and broke both bones in his forearm just below the elbow. I think all the government hospitals are overcrowded with patients stuffed everywhere there is room. My wife and the rest of the family took turns staying with him 24/7. It was NOT a good experience for the boy.

I'll continue to pay my health insurance premiums so I don't have to put up with those conditions. Anyone who has a problem with me NOT wanting to be hospitalized like the regular Thais can kiss my doot!

No doubt conditions in many of the public hospitals are overcrowded, though the last two wards that I visited were actually not that bad. However, I do think that many posters on the forum set up an over-sharp distinction between quality standards in the MoPH system and the private sector. Some of the smaller private hospitals in Isaan have a distinctly bad reputation among health care insiders regarding clinical outcomes. I could name one private hospital in central Isaan that offers care under the government UC scheme (i.e. the old 30 baht scheme) in competition with the public provincial hospital and struggles to get local people to sign up free. This is because of its image locally. Of course, the big private hospitals in Bangkok are the best in the country and some of the medium sized ones catering for expats in Isaan are okay. If I had a serious problem and had to be treated in Isaan, I would want to be in the (public) Srinakarin University Hospital in Khon Kaen.

Edited June 9, 2008 by citizen33

[jimmi]

Happylarry - I hope your nephew will be O.K. I wish him well.

[happylarry]

Thankyou for your good wishes Jimmi, we are going up again to see them tomorrow.

My wifes sister said today the doctors are still not sure whether he will need to go into the operating room to have his wounds scraped because he still has dead skin that has not come off on its own yet. Horrible things scalds and burns because there is no quick fix like setting a break or stitching a cut.

Here's hoping.....

HL

[happylarry]

After talking about the overcrowded government hospitals....I had need to visit a hospital today as I have had a rash appear on my arms. Anyway I drove to a private hospital in Nang Rong and it was like a five star hotel. I went in the mid afternoon and there was not one single person there apart from the staff of course. Straight in to see a doctor, then to the pharmacy to collect a tube of cream and two sets of tablets and out again in ten minutes. The big surprise was when I got the bill......375 baht...total....I could not believe how cheap it was. Can anyone beat this?

HL

[bergen]

After talking about the overcrowded government hospitals....I had need to visit a hospital today as I have had a rash appear on my arms. Anyway I drove to a private hospital in Nang Rong and it was like a five star hotel. I went in the mid afternoon and there was not one single person there apart from the staff of course. Straight in to see a doctor, then to the pharmacy to collect a tube of cream and two sets of tablets and out again in ten minutes. The big surprise was when I got the bill......375 baht...total....I could not believe how cheap it was. Can anyone beat this?

HL

Good that you are happy ......Larry

[0Mix1up]

You went to hospital for a rash?

Did you get bethaone-n? about 80 baht

[happylarry]

Hey Omix1up,

so where do you go when you require medical attention...a garage...kareoke bar...family planning clinic???

Anyway thanks for the info about the cream, if it costs as much as 80 baht then that makes the overall total even more of a bargain...295 baht to visit a private hospital, see a doctor and get two different types of allergy tablets supplied.

Gotta be good.

HL

[ProThaiExpat]

There is a difference between overcrowded wards, use of halls for beds and the level of medical care given. Even in private rooms, poor care can be had and likewise, in crowded government hospitals, excellent medical care can be given.

My other half's mother, who lives in Issan, had an internal organ problem that required a sophisticated piece of equipment not available in Issan, so she traveled hundreds of kilometers to a regional hospital where that equipment was available and she got the treatment she needed. Yes, her bed was in a hallway, but she none the less got excellent care from well qualified doctors.

As someone posted, should they be turned away or put in beds 18 inches apart in all available spaces. I haven't heard anyone yet post that bed proximity deters healing or proper medical care.

I had some attitude adjustments to make when I went to my first Thai private hospital in Chiang Mai, Ram, who many consider expensive and high end. I was a little surprised how poorly maintained it appeared to be. Flaking paint on the walls, walls not painted for years, and the like. Had nothing to do with the quality of care or the cleanliness.

My private room on the falang floor had a bathroom I would be ashamed to have in my home, but it worked and once I got over my idea of what it should look like, I was fine with it.

One of reasons medical care in the West is so expensive is the massive amounts of money spent on how hospitals look.

I have no interest in spending another 30 days in a year, over four visits, in any hospital, even if it is a state of the art, spotless western hospital with hot and cold running nurses. However, if I do have to do it, it is the level of care and the quality of the medical staff that will concern me, not how nice the place looks or how crowded it is. Part of getting accustomed to Thailand, I guess.

[happylarry]

Hey Prothaiexpert

nice post and I couldnt agree more, its the care that counts, but does that mean that it is right for people to be stacked up in the corridors or do you think it would be better if the governing body in Thailand diverted a few billion into redressing the situation instead of lining their pockets as usual.

HL

[edd]

After talking about the overcrowded government hospitals....I had need to visit a hospital today as I have had a rash appear on my arms. Anyway I drove to a private hospital in Nang Rong and it was like a five star hotel. I went in the mid afternoon and there was not one single person there apart from the staff of course. Straight in to see a doctor, then to the pharmacy to collect a tube of cream and two sets of tablets and out again in ten minutes. The big surprise was when I got the bill......375 baht...total....I could not believe how cheap it was. Can anyone beat this?

HL

I had a really bad case of mammoth crapping disease.

I took the usual tablets for days with no positive results, eventually I had to go to our local village hospital at Phen near Udornthani.

I was very pleased with the service with in 5 minutes I had seen a doctor, had the magic 2 injections (for pain and antibiotics) received tablets for 10 days and a letter for my own doctor and a letter for my insurance if I wanted to claim the huge costs back.

At hearing I thought that the bill was going to be inflated.

The whole bill was 102 Baht.

No I didn’t try to claim the cost back

[lampard10]

My wife's young nephew had a terrible accident on Saturday and scalded both his complete hands, arms shoulders, chest and neck and had to be admitted to the government hospital in Korat. It was so bad that the skin was hanging off his arms in shreds and I do hope he recovers in time because he is a nice little lad.

Anyway that is just to explain what I was doing in the hospital.

We took the lift to the fourth floor in one of the buildings and as the lift doors opened I could not believe my eyes.........every bit of space in the lift waiting areas and all the corridors were taken up by occupied beds. When I queried with my wife if there was some sort of epidemic going on she told me it was like this all the time in government run hospitals.

I can remember outcrys in the UK when a patient was left in a corridor for half an hour and here we have dozens of people staying full time in beds that are about eighteen inches apart from each other.

I dont enjoy paying the premiums for my very expensive health insurance but I am so glad that if I do have the need for a hospital stay that it will be in a private room with personal service.

HL

Well, that is nice!

What is the higher meaning behind this message?

You like to feel apart from the "locals"?

So very high above them.

Man, I choose to be in a state run hospital, because I want to feel the same as anybody.

I do have to pay for everything, but I refuse to pay Premium Prices for the same amount of care.

So what, I am not in a private ward?

I was in the state hospital in Khon Kaen for a few days, and my neighbour was a monk.

He spoke some English, and I talked a lot to him, about a lot of things.

I came out of the hospital, better in body, and I think better in mind.

The care was the same, only a lot cheaper!

Jeez.......what planet do you come from? I suppose you drink water and eat dry bread cause it's cheaper and just as healthy, and gives you a bettewr state of mind cause the monks do it. My best advice to you is to become a Brother of the Second Coming of whatever it is that comes. Prat.