Dream Job Becomes Nightmare In Koh Samui

[Boater]

A life-threatening illness and lapsed travel insurance floored an expatriate, writes Clive Dorman.

The 44-year-old Sydneysider - we'll call him D - had one of the world's great jobs. A Thai resident for eight years, D worked on the island of Koh Samui, taking tourists on underwater adventures as a dive master and scuba-diving instructor.

Danger was never far away; of Koh Samui's population of 50,000, about 700 people die each year in motorcycle accidents alone. Despite its idyllic reputation, Koh Samui is "an incredibly dangerous place," D says.

One day, about a year ago, D woke up urinating blood. Nothing could have prepared him for the nightmare he says followed.

The hospital on Samui sent him home with a suspected urinary tract infection. Several days later he returned to hospital, collapsed and was admitted to intensive care with what would be diagnosed as a rare blood disorder known by the abbreviation TTP - a condition where the blood starts clotting and requires extensive transfusions. Until the 1980s, there was no known treatment and it was fatal in about 90 per cent of cases.

But the bigger danger, as it transpired, was that D's travel insurance had expired shortly beforehand. After two days at the hospital in Samui (the bill, roughly $10,870 at last year's exchange rate, is still being disputed), D was evacuated to a private hospital in Bangkok in a charter flight that cost about $13,000 - nearly three times the original quote.

After 10 days in intensive care and four days in a ward, D was billed for 2 million baht (about $86,950 at March 2009 exchange rates).

According to D, the bill included items such as water and chemist's supplies for 10 times the going street rate. D queried the most extreme price mark-ups.

The hospital agreed to deduct 500,000 baht. But then, "as I was preparing to leave, the hospital accountant appeared in my room with four burly Thai hospital security guards and told me I could not leave until I had discharged my bill in full".

"They knew I had a plane to catch and was still very ill [he had to spend another five weeks in hospital in Australia and undergo three months of outpatient treatment] and having given them all my credit cards, from which they took in excess of $30,000 (maxing them all out), my efforts to try and contract to pay the rest in monthly instalments from Australia proved futile.

"I had to contact my parents and they ended up giving their credit card details over the phone, which led to another $25,000 being deducted. The accountant said if I could not discharge my bill the police would be called and I would go to Thai prison. He was fully aware of my medical condition and knew without further treatment I would die."

D says the hospital staff had been made aware of his lack of medical insurance from the start, had not transferred him to a cheaper hospital as he requested and he says he was underquoted for the cost of treatment.

D asked for identity to be withheld so he can return to Thailand. "The hospitals are incredibly powerful and have a hel_l of a lot of clout with the police, local authorities, immigration," he says.

http://www.smh.com.au/travel/dream-job-bec...00330-rael.html

I think the moral of the story here is to make sure you have health insurance or check it is still valid, wonder how many expats living on Koh Samui are not covered?

[smokie36]

The short answer is many long term expats are inadequately covered. The cost of cover for many is beyond their means. But most are more clued up than to go to the rip off hospital....

[Carib]

The nightmare was his own, I am sorry but knowing you live in a " dangerous place" ( not my words) , than one should have insurance.

At least the hospital recognised his illness and kept him alive.

[lazygourmet]

Actually, he was taking tourists on underwater adventures as a dive master and scuba-diving instructor: he should had a proper (complete cover) insurance not only for himself, but as well for each of his clients.

Just another amateur who does not deserve a topic... even less compassion

[Birdman]

"...700 people die each year in motorcycle accidents alone" = 2 every day??

...which questions the accuracy of the rest

[Boater]

"...700 people die each year in motorcycle accidents alone" = 2 every day??

...which questions the accuracy of the rest

that probably is about right... Phuket has around 5 a day, and that is just the chalong district !

[South]

According to D, the bill included items such as water and chemist's supplies for 10 times the going street rate. D queried the most extreme price mark-ups.

.... and I wonder which hospital that was then? I have my ideas.

[MSingh]

"...700 people die each year in motorcycle accidents alone" = 2 every day??

...which questions the accuracy of the rest

that probably is about right... Phuket has around 5 a day, and that is just the chalong district !

I agree with the Birdman & i'd be amazed if it wasn't more than 2 per day here.

[BigC]

The nightmare was his own, I am sorry but knowing you live in a " dangerous place" ( not my words) , than one should have insurance.

At least the hospital recognised his illness and kept him alive.

yes people deserve to be ripped off or die. not really sure why u posted that Carib. i am about to purchase health inssurence. i haven't had ot for 6 years. this is becuase i could not afford it. now i have enough i will go and buy. what can u do if u cannot afford the inssurence. u cannot magic money out of the air. yes i have money to live on but i do not have enough at the end of the month to have 20 k left over not with my family to take care of.

bit of a harsh statement for the un lucky chap

[iSabai]

Just out of curiosity, who is this Clive Dorman? And what is the source of the original story? Could be total fiction without some reference to support it.

[xen]

Just out of curiosity, who is this Clive Dorman? And what is the source of the original story? Could be total fiction without some reference to support it.

From his blup on the Sydney Morning Herald site :"Clive Dorman is one of Australia's most experienced travel journalists. Every week for 17 years his column Travellers' Check dealt with travel consumer issues. His weekly column now returns online looking at travel intelligence: where the value is, what to do, using the collective information-gathering of you."

The two days in Samui hospital sounds about right as i spent two days in a hospital in Pattaya last Nov and that cost arounfd 9,000 THB . The rest of it may be accurate - but the lesson is to have insurance when u are away from your home country. Just hope this doesn't blow out Travel insurance premiums .

Edited April 2, 2010 by xen

[limbos]

The nightmare was his own, I am sorry but knowing you live in a " dangerous place" ( not my words) , than one should have insurance.

At least the hospital recognised his illness and kept him alive.

yes people deserve to be ripped off or die. not really sure why u posted that Carib. i am about to purchase health inssurence. i haven't had ot for 6 years. this is becuase i could not afford it. now i have enough i will go and buy. what can u do if u cannot afford the inssurence. u cannot magic money out of the air. yes i have money to live on but i do not have enough at the end of the month to have 20 k left over not with my family to take care of.

bit of a harsh statement for the un lucky chap

20K per month must be an extremely top notch insurance with all kind of bells and whistles.

Various kinds of insurance levels and premiums are available within Thailand, just gotta do some research. I've got my family insured through a Thai broker in BKK, perfect customer care and attention. In contrast to what I experienced on the island here.

[aussimike]

The nightmare was his own, I am sorry but knowing you live in a " dangerous place" ( not my words) , than one should have insurance.

At least the hospital recognised his illness and kept him alive.

another stupid quote from old senile farang ---- sure the comment would be different if something like this happened to you -- i know first hand how the hospital system works here - and its pathetic - even some of the govt hospitals practice really bad hygiene standards - and charge for everything -- last time i was in i discharged myself -- the nurses spend all their time emptying piss bottles - thats about the standard of care --

[simey]

A peril of living in an island that still behaves like the wild west, but you can't have it both ways. You want to live on an island where drink driving is common, motorcycle helmets are rare as hens teeth and other laws are regularly flouted, then you lose the ability to apply first world laws when you like to, and not when you don't.

I work in Sydney right now, and being a UK resident I am allowed to claim on Medicare, however I'm still required to purchase and prove health insurance, my visa will be cancelled if I let that drop. Imagine if that rule was applied to everyone working in Samui?

A couple of issues with the story and the poor victim being ripped off buy the hospitals. First, if you let your insurance drop especially living in a place with such a high accident rate and doing a risky job then you gambled and lost. Second the story talks about 'travel insurance', which covers you for trips up to 90 days from your place of residency and does not replace full health insurance - he would probably have found that even if he had paid the health insurance they would have refused to pay as it is obvious he is not a tourist on holiday for a couple weeks.

[maccaroni man]

According to D, the bill included items such as water and chemist's supplies for 10 times the going street rate. D queried the most extreme price mark-ups.

.... and I wonder which hospital that was then? I have my ideas.

all hospitals even gvt hospitals mark up meds and supplies, there is nothing news braking about this practice.

[BigC]

The nightmare was his own, I am sorry but knowing you live in a " dangerous place" ( not my words) , than one should have insurance.

At least the hospital recognised his illness and kept him alive.

yes people deserve to be ripped off or die. not really sure why u posted that Carib. i am about to purchase health inssurence. i haven't had ot for 6 years. this is becuase i could not afford it. now i have enough i will go and buy. what can u do if u cannot afford the inssurence. u cannot magic money out of the air. yes i have money to live on but i do not have enough at the end of the month to have 20 k left over not with my family to take care of.

bit of a harsh statement for the un lucky chap

20K per month must be an extremely top notch insurance with all kind of bells and whistles.

Various kinds of insurance levels and premiums are available within Thailand, just gotta do some research. I've got my family insured through a Thai broker in BKK, perfect customer care and attention. In contrast to what I experienced on the island here.

i know is it 20 k per year but i need at least 20 k to get inssured

[Jonathanpattaya]

Why go to the trouble of calling yourself "D"?

[limbos]

A peril of living in an island that still behaves like the wild west, but you can't have it both ways. You want to live on an island where drink driving is common, motorcycle helmets are rare as hens teeth and other laws are regularly flouted, then you lose the ability to apply first world laws when you like to, and not when you don't.

I work in Sydney right now, and being a UK resident I am allowed to claim on Medicare, however I'm still required to purchase and prove health insurance, my visa will be cancelled if I let that drop. Imagine if that rule was applied to everyone working in Samui?

A couple of issues with the story and the poor victim being ripped off buy the hospitals. First, if you let your insurance drop especially living in a place with such a high accident rate and doing a risky job then you gambled and lost. Second the story talks about 'travel insurance', which covers you for trips up to 90 days from your place of residency and does not replace full health insurance - he would probably have found that even if he had paid the health insurance they would have refused to pay as it is obvious he is not a tourist on holiday for a couple weeks.

Well said Simey

[limbos]

The nightmare was his own, I am sorry but knowing you live in a " dangerous place" ( not my words) , than one should have insurance.

At least the hospital recognised his illness and kept him alive.

yes people deserve to be ripped off or die. not really sure why u posted that Carib. i am about to purchase health inssurence. i haven't had ot for 6 years. this is becuase i could not afford it. now i have enough i will go and buy. what can u do if u cannot afford the inssurence. u cannot magic money out of the air. yes i have money to live on but i do not have enough at the end of the month to have 20 k left over not with my family to take care of.

bit of a harsh statement for the un lucky chap

20K per month must be an extremely top notch insurance with all kind of bells and whistles.

Various kinds of insurance levels and premiums are available within Thailand, just gotta do some research. I've got my family insured through a Thai broker in BKK, perfect customer care and attention. In contrast to what I experienced on the island here.

i know is it 20 k per year but i need at least 20 k to get inssured

I have a quarterly payment schedule, something I could not arrange for with the Samui representatives and I pay a bit more than 20K per year for my whole family of 4 pax but I don't have the most expensive policies available. For a family of 4 I'm happy with the premium and coverage I chose.

[Boater]

I have a quarterly payment schedule, something I could not arrange for with the Samui representatives and I pay a bit more than 20K per year for my whole family of 4 pax but I don't have the most expensive policies available. For a family of 4 I'm happy with the premium and coverage I chose.

thats not bad, i am currently paying 200 - 300 pounds a months ( 10-15K ) on NI in the uk, and havent even used it !!!

[limbos]

Boater,

If you send me a pm I'm more than happy to give you the details of my BKK broker.

[Tanaka]

The nightmare was his own, I am sorry but knowing you live in a " dangerous place" ( not my words) , than one should have insurance.

At least the hospital recognised his illness and kept him alive.

yes people deserve to be ripped off or die. not really sure why u posted that Carib. i am about to purchase health inssurence. i haven't had ot for 6 years. this is becuase i could not afford it. now i have enough i will go and buy. what can u do if u cannot afford the inssurence. u cannot magic money out of the air. yes i have money to live on but i do not have enough at the end of the month to have 20 k left over not with my family to take care of.

bit of a harsh statement for the un lucky chap

20K per month must be an extremely top notch insurance with all kind of bells and whistles.

Various kinds of insurance levels and premiums are available within Thailand, just gotta do some research. I've got my family insured through a Thai broker in BKK, perfect customer care and attention. In contrast to what I experienced on the island here.

i know is it 20 k per year but i need at least 20 k to get inssured

You say you do not have 20k to insure your family. And you live here with your family? What will you do when one of you has to have hospital treatment?

Edited April 3, 2010 by Tanaka

[Boater]

Boater,

If you send me a pm I'm more than happy to give you the details of my BKK broker.

that was in the UK, National Insurance for the NHS, have to pay it , even if you dont use it

but out of interest, what does your broker charge per month for medical insurance?

[limbos]

Boater,

That's difficult to answer, this totally depends on what coverage you're looking for. My coverage is not at the high end spectrum but my broker offered me three different options in a similar price bracket.

Whatever my premium is on a yearly base may not cover your wishes but for a family of 4 I pay around 60K per year.

[MattCinderey]

I have a friend in a similar situation. Bike Accident and now around 2 million out of pocket... still getting treatment in Bangkok.

I'm looking for insurance myself - I've been speaking to Stephen at Ensure and he's offered me some very good plans. Definitely worth contacting.

Matt.

[canopus1969]

A very naive (stupid) young man.

Quote : A Thai resident for eight years, D worked on the island of Koh Samui, taking tourists on underwater adventures as a dive master and scuba-diving instructor.

So he lives here and has a work permit but then admits he’s trying to use “Travel” insurance – the insurance company had every right to cancel the policy and pay him nothing.

[limbos]

I do wonder who this could be, the dive instructor in the story. I do work in the dive industry on Samui but haven't actually heard about this story until it was released in the Aussi press.

[BigC]

A very naive (stupid) young man.

Quote : A Thai resident for eight years, D worked on the island of Koh Samui, taking tourists on underwater adventures as a dive master and scuba-diving instructor.

So he lives here and has a work permit but then admits he’s trying to use “Travel” insurance – the insurance company had every right to cancel the policy and pay him nothing.

looks like he is fitting most of the bill anyway. you happy now ?

[BigC]

20K per month must be an extremely top notch insurance with all kind of bells and whistles.

Various kinds of insurance levels and premiums are available within Thailand, just gotta do some research. I've got my family insured through a Thai broker in BKK, perfect customer care and attention. In contrast to what I experienced on the island here.

i know is it 20 k per year but i need at least 20 k to get inssured

You say you do not have 20k to insure your family. And you live here with your family? What will you do when one of you has to have hospital treatment?

i pay tax national inssurence that covers me for gov. health though i am going to bupa to see about doing quaterly payments. think its about time

[stiggy]

Careful with Bupa... most polices with them have 2 mill max payout swallowed up in a heartbeat for anything serious.

My own experience is they are BSTds at paying out to, never return calls etc etc ended up footing the bills on my Credit card about 120k.

Best service I got from them was on selling the policy the rest was down hill from there.

I am moving on to another policy asap.