Some Terminal Patients Left With Few Choices: Thailand

[Docno]

Happens in America too.

Another chance to bash America. We are discussing Thailand on this forum. If you hate America, I'm sure there are countless forums where you can do your whining. In the past decade, America has provided $Bs to Africa to combat AIDS with very few other rich countries doing very much. And I do think you are basically wrong in saying that people die in the streets in the US. Do you have any proof? Americans are very generous in the private aid donated to the poor and homeless.

Yep, it happens in America too: http://www.housingistreatment.org/ Your response made me chuckle, though. Seems like you're saying that this forum is solely for Thai-bashing. And it does appear that way at times...

[philw]

If you pay social security you are entitled to free healthcare at any government hospital. And, you don't have to be employed to get this benefit. I know exactly what I'm talking about as I have a rare lung disease and get superb free healthcare at the Mission Hospital in Phuket.

My doctor told me that when I retire I will still be able to get it as long as I still pay into the very, very afordable social security scheme.

My medicine is very expensive. In my homeland, I would NOT be able to get insurance. I would have to work a second job JUST to pay for my medicine. Thailand takes superb care of me... for which I am extremely grateful.

This woman is an exception here, not the norm.

In my experience, she is nothing like an exception.

There are very large, gaping holes in the health care system here and probably thousands of people die needlessly because of them.

In fairness there are very many good aspects but the holes do exist and it's wrong to pretend they don't.

Edited May 24, 2012 by philw

[moe666]

I was with my girlfriend at her village west of Mae Hong Song. While she talked to a woman the woman lifted her shirt up and showed my girlfriend her back which was covered in skin cancer. The cancer had matastizied to her breast, the Drs had told her to go home as there was nothing they could do. This woman lives 30k from the nearest hospital in MHS, this hospital mat not have the ability to treat this advanced cancer and the family donot have the money to live in Chiang Mai or bangkok while she gets treatment.

Yes they have hospitals, and a health plan that covers them but then again do the family have the funds to cover living expenses in a different city than they live in. Also the family are needed to help the patient as the government hospitals are understaff. There is more to health care than saying you have a health plan.

[cdnski12]

And I do think you are basically wrong in saying that people die in the streets in the US. Do you have any proof?

Just drive through certain major US cities and they are littered with homeless. There isn't remotely enough space at shelters for people. Cities like LA, Detroit, and NYC have tens of thousands of homeless people each that are sleeping on the streets every night. LA alone has 80,000 sleeping on the street every night. There are people dieing on the streets every single day. The situation is far, far worse than in Thailand.

The answer is to lower Income Taxes on the extremely wealthy ... as this leads to the "Trickle Down Effect"; which is/was theorized by those Master Communicators like Ronnie Regan, Bushes 1 & 2, American Banking "Experts" and most of the past & current NYSE!

[cdnski12]

I was with my girlfriend at her village west of Mae Hong Song. While she talked to a woman the woman lifted her shirt up and showed my girlfriend her back which was covered in skin cancer. The cancer had matastizied to her breast, the Drs had told her to go home as there was nothing they could do. This woman lives 30k from the nearest hospital in MHS, this hospital mat not have the ability to treat this advanced cancer and the family donot have the money to live in Chiang Mai or bangkok while she gets treatment.

Yes they have hospitals, and a health plan that covers them but then again do the family have the funds to cover living expenses in a different city than they live in. Also the family are needed to help the patient as the government hospitals are understaff. There is more to health care than saying you have a health plan.

Whoa man ... get back into your Hilux AWD and burn dirt outta that village before the GF's Family ask for some Bahts!!

[laurentbkk]

in Thailand if you have money you live ... if you are poor you die ..... nothing is more simple than this .

Even the rich and fatuous die.

sure but in much better condition ...not in the street.

[Galong]

If you pay social security you are entitled to free healthcare at any government hospital. And, you don't have to be employed to get this benefit. I know exactly what I'm talking about as I have a rare lung disease and get superb free healthcare at the Mission Hospital in Phuket.

My doctor told me that when I retire I will still be able to get it as long as I still pay into the very, very afordable social security scheme.

My medicine is very expensive. In my homeland, I would NOT be able to get insurance. I would have to work a second job JUST to pay for my medicine. Thailand takes superb care of me... for which I am extremely grateful.

This woman is an exception here, not the norm.

In my experience, she is nothing like an exception.

There are very large, gaping holes in the health care system here and probably thousands of people die needlessly because of them.

In fairness there are very many good aspects but the holes do exist and it's wrong to pretend they don't.

Of course holes exist... and unfortunately they often exist when and where there are mental health issues. This woman seems to be delusional, likely due to her condition. My personal experience is that the healthcare here is of a high standard and my point is that it's not just for folks who have the financial means to have insurance. By law, this woman is covered.

[metisdead]

A post which had messed up quotes has been removed as well as the associated replies.

Another post containing defamatory content has been edited.

[Yunla]

I'm sure I saw the Redmob leaders ranting ontsage during their siege of Bangkok, about being the "voice of poor people". What happened to all that? How much does it cost to feed and bed & medicate a terminally ill Thai citizen during their last 4 weeks of life? How dishonorable it is to send them out to die in the street somewhere. How unegalitarian. I hope people who swallowed all that red-shirt propaganda read this story & look at the cheap chinese computer tablets they got given instead of the promised equal society & 'care for the poorest'.

The problem applies to visas too, the health tourist non-imm O visa was discontinued recently, meaning that many seriously ill visitors from abroad (including myself) who came to Thailand on one-year health visas, can no longer do so. This applies to terminally ill visitors too who would have spent a lot of money in Thai hospitals and on medicines while staying here, contributing to the Thai economy & feeling welcome, are now faced with tourist visas and border runs while sick.

Once again the politicians here do not deserve the decent working people they govern, truly, nor the many law-abiding respectful visitors from abroad.

Edited May 26, 2012 by Yunla

[softgeorge]

"You can't let a human being die on the street"

Well, apparently you can. The article provides an illustration of palliative care and mental health resources for Thailand's poor and destitute.

Australia does, there are homeless people dying on Australian streets every week, whilst asylum seekers are flocking in, getting priority and taking up all the resources.