Should A Woman Be Allowed to hold the office of President of the USA?

[glanville63]

On Monday evening just gone, I took my good friend Roger to the biggest hospital in Pattaya. He was suffering from chest pains after a day out in the sun playing golf. I suggested we take him for a health check as it was better to be safe than sorry. As I drove into Pattaya, I contemplated which would be the best hospital to take my friend to and I thought, biggest is best. How wrong I was. Ministered to by the cream of the crop, in medical terms; within 26 hours my dear friend was dead. And the cost of this supreme service from our state of the art hospital; £18,800.00. Yes almost 1 million bahts. I know the surgeon won't be paid that much so where does the rest of the money go to.

I'm relating this story so that others will be fully aware of what they are letting theselves in for when they enter the portals of such a fine establishment. I must also mention that a deposit of 300,000 baht paid by me to ensure that would commence their procedures was extracted from my Barclaycard account in 3 seconds flat but will take 2 weeks to arrive back in my account now that my friend's insurance company have agreed to cover all the costs.

Beware !!!!!!!!

Edited January 3, 2011 by Rimmer
unnecessary extra comments edited for the posters own good

[gmac]

Think I know where you mean. Wouldn't touch them with a barge pole! Pattaya Memorial for me, still not exactly cheap but adequate and my recent overnight stay and op only cost around 35,000 Baht. Then again I lived!!

[NanLaew]

So he croaked due to his age, pre-existing condition or what? Complications after admission? You infer malpractice. Bit of a dodgy call unless you have at least 4 seasons of 'ER' and a couple of 'House' under your belt.

You are a indeed a good friend to take him to hospital and fork out the deposit but to be honest, I can't see what the gripe is if Roger's insurance is covering ALL costs?

Instead of bashing a nameless private health care establishment, you could just add that coffin dodgers planning a beer and skittles golf retirement in Pattaya better be well insured.... just like your friend. Are you?

RIP Roger.

[glanville63]

So he croaked due to his age, pre-existing condition or what? Complications after admission? You infer malpractice. Bit of a dodgy call unless you have at least 4 seasons of 'ER' and a couple of 'House' under your belt.

You are a indeed a good friend to take him to hospital and fork out the deposit but to be honest, I can't see what the gripe is if Roger's insurance is covering ALL costs?

Instead of bashing a nameless private health care establishment, you could just add that coffin dodgers planning a beer and skittles golf retirement in Pattaya better be well insured.... just like your friend. Are you?

RIP Roger.

He was 67 and had no history of heart problems. I'm not a doctor so can't comment on what they did or didn't do. I'm only saying what happened and leave people to draw their own conclusions. The insurance company will foot the bill that's true but it's a hell of a lot of money charged for no gain. In any other walk of life, the end result determines how much you get paid. You follow my drift?

[Jingthing]

The cost does indeed sound high even for emergency surgery, which sounds like what must have happened to "justify" that cost.

I suspect the OP's suspicions have basis. That place certainly knows how to play insurance companies like a violin.

Edited January 3, 2011 by Jingthing

[InterestedObserver]

Chest pains! There is only one hospital in the Pattaya area with a cardiac center, BHP. Without some details of this treatment nobody can comment on the charges, but heart bypass surgery would not cost that much (friend recently had a quote from them). You really had no choice in taking him there. As far as your unfortunate friend's passing, RIP.

Edited January 3, 2011 by InterestedObserver

[Basil B]

I am sorry to hear you friend died.

But are you sure he would have survived if he was treated elsewhere?

One pointer here is it would be sensible that if you have health or travel insurance you carry the emergency contact number at all times this will enable the hospital to get approval for treatment immediately, if you had not been there who else would have provided the 300,000B deposit?

As you talk in terms of £££ I am assuming he is British, if the corpse is repatriated to the UK the it will be subject to an inquest (and possible autopsy) in the UK, then if the coroner criticizes the hospital treatment please do post report here.

[timekeeper]

i am sorry to hear of the passing of your friend and i am sorry for your loss

it is a common emotion to want to blame someone for the loss

no one blames you for that.

however i know 100% which hospital in Pattaya i want to be taken to if i have a serious problem

i even have it written in Thai/English in a laminated card in my wallet along with my patient registration card and my insurance carriers card.

at the hospital they have my insurers details, the telephone numbers to call and what treatment i qualify for, already on my patient file so there are no delays in saving my life whilst customer service are seeking a sponsor or a credit card

with a little preparation for the worst of events, you can be a little more relaxed whilst fighting for your life .............

once again RIP your friend, good on you for stepping up

[homeseeker]

OP: May we know in some more detail what actually you are complaining about? Wrong or negligent treatment? Over pricing? Or all these things?

Have you directed your complaints to the hospital concerned for them to respond?

Perhaps your allegations here should be sent to the hospital for them to post a response?

[daveyravey]

I think that there is more to this story than meets the eye although Intensive care is very expensive, even in a country like Thailand.

Im sure to accrue a bill of this amount in 24 hours there must have been emergency surgery carried out and many many complications.

In many instances if the patient had gone to the hospital sooner then they can be saved. It seems from your post

that you finished your game of golf first.

Many golfers visit short time bars after the game and take viagra to shag kiks etc. Was this what brought

on the chest pains?

Did he have pains the day before or did they just start whilst he was playing golf?

Were stents inserted into his heart? (extremely expensive procedure)

Did his other organs start to fail, like kidneys or liver? if so dialysis would be needed.

Of courses angiagrams are not cheap either.

Im sure this hospital did all it could do to save your friend.

Im sure that you are upset but it seems your gripe is that although he

died they still expected to be paid.l. Perfectly reasonable to me.

RIP.

Edited January 3, 2011 by daveyravey

[timekeeper]

I think that there is more to this story than meets the eye although Intensive care is very expensive, even in a country like Thailand.

Im sure to accrue a bill of this amount in 24 hours there must have been emergency surgery carried out and many many complications.

In many instances if the patient had gone to the hospital sooner then they can be saved. It seems from your post

that you finished your game of golf first.

Many golfers visit short time bars after the game and take viagra to shag kiks etc. Was this what brought

on the chest pains?

Did he have pains the day before or did they just start whilst he was playing golf?

Were stents inserted into his heart? (extremely expensive procedure)

Did his other organs start to fail, like kidneys or liver? if so dialysis would be needed.

Of courses angiagrams are not cheap either.

Im sure this hospital did all it could do to save your friend.

Im sure that you are upset but it seems your gripe is that although he

died they still expected to be paid.l. Perfectly reasonable to me.

RIP.

Were stents inserted into his heart? (extremely expensive procedure)

that's not true

i have an offer in writing from the most major hospital around here for two stents and intensive aftercare, cash up front for 325,000 baht

on an insurance job they quoted 925,000, then beat them down to 630,000 and finally i nailed their hat on at 325,000

it was 54-55 baht to the GBP at the time too!

[Mobi]

Those who know me will know that I am absolutely no fan of Thai hospitals and BHP in particular.

But as several have pointed out, without any knowledge of what went on and what procedures were undertaken it is really not correct to slag off BHP off before all the facts are known.

There are many horror stories of delayed treatment or refusal of treatment due to lack of insurance or a ready credit card, but this clearly didn't happen in your friend's case.

As to the cost - well again it is impossible to comment until we know what procedures were undertaken. All that I can say is that 3 years ago I was quoted in the region of 250k Baht at Bumrungrad to carry out a bog standard stent insertion, and it is a fact the BHP is generally more expensive than Bumrungrad - especially for 'non regulars'. So it is not difficult to extrapolate a sum in excess of a million Baht if complex open heart surgery was performed, albeit without success.

There have been countless incidents, including many well known celebrities, where people, younger than 60 and with up to date health screening have checked into the best hospitals known to medical science with chest pains or other similar complaints, and have died within 24 hours of admittance.

I'm sorry, but sometimes, even with the best possible medical attention, there is nothing that can be done. It's just the lottery of every day life.

I am very sorry for you and your friend's family and I do know how you must feel. It is eminently feasible that BHP was at fault, but you must face the facts; it will be impossible to prove one way or the other in a country where all private health care is geared to increasing the bottom line profit, and the Hippocratic oath is totally meaningless.

RIP Roger.

[Thailaw]

Those who know me will know that I am absolutely no fan of Thai hospitals and BHP in particular.

. . . in a country where all private health care is geared to increasing the bottom line profit, and the Hippocratic oath is totally meaningless.. . .

Is Thailand so different than the US, UK or Europe in that regard? Medical professionals in Thailand that serve more affluent people (like BPH) have examined how medical care is provided and priced in the west, and have followed their lead. These hospitals prey on those with an urgent condition and no time to "shop around" (such as elective surgery and child birth, where prices here are very competitive) and those with insurance (the first question asked is "do you have insurance" (of course, this also assures a source of payment)). In the US, no doctor will see you until you have filled out 100 forms, waived liability to the fullest extent of the law, and demonstrate the ability to pay -- where is the Hippocratic oath there? To be sure, some hospitals here are far worse than others, but those that provide service to foreigners/expats are all driven primarily by the bottom line -- pretty much like back in the US. Regardless of what the hospital did, £18,000 is unjustifiable for a few hours in the hospital (but I have no doubt that it will provide a bill that does justify it -- $10 for a Tylenol). But as soon as the insurance carrier agrees to pay, the issue goes away, and BPH's behavior is validated and will be repeated the next time a seriously ill person requiring immediate attention walks in the door. The health care system is an unequivocal mess, and that mess has migrated along with the expats to Thailand -- a shame.

[daveyravey]

Were stents inserted into his heart? (extremely expensive procedure)

that's not true

i have an offer in writing from the most major hospital around here for two stents and intensive aftercare, cash up front for 325,000 baht

on an insurance job they quoted 925,000, then beat them down to 630,000 and finally i nailed their hat on at 325,000

it was 54-55 baht to the GBP at the time too!

Well there you have it then. A first quote of 925k for stents. Thats most of the bill. throw in some major complications,

together with emergency surgery etc etc and a million baht is easily got to.

To often i see people blaming hospitals when in fact it was the patients lifestyle to blame.

My question is still unanswered though.... did the pains start on the golf course, or before he went to golf

or in a bar after golf?

Edited January 4, 2011 by Rimmer
unnecessary speculation

[Guderian]

I'm sorry for your loss, but these things can happen anywhere, not just in Bangkok-Pattaya Hospital or in Thailand. Some years back a close relative suffered a major heart attack at the start of a long holiday weekend in the UK. He was dead within 48 hours, and his wife has always blamed the the hospital for having inadequate staff on duty during the bank holiday weekend. Most of the cardiac specialists had popped off to their villas in Spain for the holiday, so they were very short staffed.

Last Christmas, my niece lost her unborn baby. She had noticed bleeding, the GP was closed (of course, he was in his villa in Spain), so she was told to call NHS24. They told her not to worry, but if it got worse then go to A&E. It did, and so she did as told, and after a 3 hour wait they did some scans and tests and told her the baby was dead.

[sunshinegirl]

Firstly sorry for the loss of your friend. but I really dont think BHP would have been any worse than charges from any private hospital in uk or the USA .

I was comparing charges with a friend who had a neck tumour removed in the states and his 6 day stay for hospital op tests etc was $180.k. Compared to my stay with BC tests , op 5 night stay approx 250k baht. Now I am 23k baht every chemo treatment x 8. So by the end of my treatment I am likely to be in the region of 400 to 450k baht which is under £10k. £10k to save my life is well worth it. . At those charges you are quoting Im sure everything possible was tried to save your friend and if you google you will see some reports it can cost up to £19k in uk. Would you be complaining if your friend had pulled through.

I know a lot of people slam BPH but the care I have had from the surgeon and the oncologist have been first class. Ok they might be behind on some aspects of aftercare needs with BC but treatment has been first class. If you had been so concerned about what had happenned you should have spoken to the surgeon as a family representive and found out cause of deat and treatment he had received.

Again stress the fact Insurance is a must if you travelling or living in foreign country.

Edited January 4, 2011 by sunshinegirl