Public Health Ministry to ask Thai govt to collect entry fees from foreigners

[Scott]

A troll post has been removed. Please stay on topic.

[siampolee]

Surely any traveler carries accident insurance I know i did and still do both here in Thailand and if I travel too.

[jaltsc]

"Public Health Minister Pradit Sintavanarong said Thursday that the government plans to collect entry fees on foreign tourists."

Sounds good to me. Then when the hospital tries to charge me farang rates, I just tell them: "I already gave at the border".

[Artisi]

They may find more customer satisfaction if ladies are asked to collect the additional entry fees .

Entry into what / where

[thaibear]

Do you get a refund on the way out if you dont use the medical services?? A joke of any idea, I have travelled the world extensively for the past 30+ years and never been asked in any country to directly pay up front for potential medical treatment. Simple solution no travel/medical insurance no visa or flight ticket issued.

Impulse your comments are laughable!

[Thormaturge]

So presumably all the people living here on tourist visas are now going to be hit with a ThB 500 bill every time they do a visa run.

[Songhua]

'Parts of the fees would be used to compensate medical service costs ...'

Where does the other part go?

[Fozfromoz]

Thailand...........the carbuncle on the worlds arse.

[Scott]

Surely any traveler carries accident insurance I know i did and still do both here in Thailand and if I travel too.

Apparently quite a few travelers do not have adequate insurance. I don't know that accident insurance would cover for an illness. If you have a medical emergency that isn't an accident and need to stay in the hospital, you would need health insurance.

[AryanicAristocrat]

I say no to this as at least 99% of the foreigners will not be needing this why should be shouldering the costs for those who did not plan ahead and have problems when they are here. As far as those farangs who stay in Thailand for long and have no money for their medical....simply turn them away from the hospitals and make it mandatory for all foreigners to make a deposit first before they can receive medical care. For thiose garbage who cannot afford as a result of no forward planning or savings or being stupid during their stay here to end up with no money, simply deport them or else bill their embassies.

Actually come to think of it, they should enforce stricter visa criteria so that we do not have these types of foreigners coming to Thailand.

[Thai at Heart]

Would someone please add up the vat, hotel taxes, revenue from all tourists, vat from all tourists, fees paid already by tourists to hospitals, and compare it to the amount not paid by tourists?

Hmmmmm. 100,000,000 times more than the unpaid bills

[Scott]

Off-topic and troll posts have been removed. Please stay on topic.

This program may affect a lot of people. Nonsensical trolling in the topic is counterproductive.

[harrry]

Surely any traveler carries accident insurance I know i did and still do both here in Thailand and if I travel too.

Apparently quite a few travelers do not have adequate insurance. I don't know that accident insurance would cover for an illness. If you have a medical emergency that isn't an accident and need to stay in the hospital, you would need health insurance.

Vehicle accidents are covered by por ror bor. Accidents in public transport should be covered by them (but isn't). Assult and crime should be covered by the state unless it can catch the perpetrator and retrieve the money from him.

[siampolee]

My travel insurance covered all medical cost accident or illness wise as does my our current policy .Although the missus and the boys are covered under the Thai hospital health scheme I still keep them on the private insurance policy.

As an aside when the youngest was around 5 years old some 9 years back he jumped off of a wall and broke his arm. We rushed to our local hospital a small offshoot of a larger group and they wanted 40,000 baht up front for treatment I produced the insurance documents but no, although the hospital was one of the named hospitals on the insurance policy it was 40,000 baht up front before anything would be done.

Result, we took him to the government hospital in Paknam where all of our three boys had been born.

He was into casualty without a second wasted treated quickly and out into a ward with male patients and the missus stayed with him.

He was the wards idol patient and nurse and doctor wise, treatment was first class with follow up outpatient checks and physio too.

He was up and walking around the morning after his admittance, spoilt rotten by patients and visitors too

In patient time three days, cost 900 baht for medication the treatment. I paid cash rather than claim on the insurance as I said treatment and patients parents treatment was first class.

Many of our friends also had a high opinion of that hospital, so there are excellent government hospitals here just the same as in the U.K or other countries.

[Scott]

Thanks Harrry, what about things like a heart attack?

I've known a number of people that died in Thailand, most were not a burden on the Thai gov't because they expired rather suddenly, however, I did know a lady who died of cancer. She spent all her money on treatment and then was admitted to the hospital where she eventually died after many, many weeks on life support, she was in a coma most of time. She had no family and I don't even know if anyone ever claimed her body. There was one estranged relative who refused even phone calls.

I have no idea how much the hospital cost, but it I am sure it was very expensive. It was a gov't hospital, by the way.

[dru2]

This is not world first.

Many country have such law.

Some even force you to exchange x dollars per day to their currency.

Concrete examples please, genius.

[zakk9]

With 25 million foreign tourists, that's 12.5 billion baht per year. And the medical costs for those tourists are what? Actually, many of the tourists pay tens of thousands or more to greedy private hospitals during their stay. I wonder where those billions will go...

Of course there are costs having tourists here, but the tourists also leave truckloads of money. That's why Thailand try to get more of them. But maybe this is a result of all the Chinese who come here. Those who come on group tours have everything prepaid and little cash. Probably a very slim, if any insurance too. If that is the case, Thailand should direct this towards them, not individual tourists.

[douginbkk]

Say what?????    

.

Burma does, or at least it used to, but that's the only country I'm aware of

Sent from my i-STYLE Q4 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[EvilDrSomkid]

I have a WP and Thai private health insurance and accident insurance. I have to pay too next time I come into the country?

INSANE IDEA!

[worgeordie]

Well i suppose this works both ways, I am sure there are Thai people on holiday

in your country,and if they fall ill they will get treatment,just like we should here.

You feel Thailand is just thinking up ways of making easy money,to offset all those

losses they are making on failed schemes. Tourist been the easy target,make them

pay.

regards Worgeordie

[cgphuket]

What complete and total garbage. Foreigners don't cost the Thai medical system one baht as they will not provide any service not paid for. If you don't have money for treatment you will die in the parking lot, even at a government hospital. This is just another way to rip off tourists without providing anything in return.

[bigbamboo]

If it went to stop private hospitals specializing in medical tourism from turning away poor women about to give birth then I doubt if anyone would object.

[GuestHouse]

How about the government taking money off private hospitals who are milking foreign patients by charging them twice as much as local Thai patients - Read PRIVATE HOSPITALS.

[marcusd]

What a crock of Bull. All the Thai government wants is more money.

May I re write this please? All the Thai Govt NEEDS is more money. Wait till the sh.t hits the fan now Moodys attention dwindles away from the USA money jam and they look at EMERGEING markets to see the porkies and let the downgrades begin... I think they gave Thailand until MARCH 2014????

[Jingthing]

Make it part of a hotel tax. Entry fees are daft.

[Daniel5]

Somebody have to pay for the rice support and the poor economy in Thailand. So foreigners are the most convenient way to collect money, but to call it a compensation for medical service costs is a not-quite-correct term.

It amounts to a brand new source of Twelve Billion Five Hundred Million Baht for distribution through the various feeding troughs.

Oct 4, 2013 - Thailand is confident that it will attract 25 million foreign tourists this year

http://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/four-million-chinese-tourists-visit-thailand-year/

Hats off to Yingluck's Cabinet for innovation of new revenue sources.

The medical service it provides is an enema.

Edited October 17, 2013 by Daniel5

[Daniel5]

I wonder if they will also charge the foreign residents who are traveling often in and out of Thailand, who has a work permit, pay taxes and have multiple entry visa. No word about this! Perhaps everyone who does not held a Thai passport is considered tourist ...in any case this is really stupid and for sure will affect the tourism industry! What about the tourist who have a medical inssurance ? Will they also have to pay ? No word about this either ...

I think that is who they consider tourists (no Thai passport).

I would be surprised if you're not counted as a "tourist" by TAT (irregardless of your actual status).

Their 25 Million Tourists claim seems to support that notion.

As such, if you're a tourist I would expect they would expect your tourist arriving medical insurance payment (TAMIP) fee of 500 baht to be paid.

Welcome to Thailand.

Edited October 17, 2013 by Daniel5

[Baerboxer]

'Parts of the fees would be used to compensate medical service costs ...'

Where does the other part go?

Do you really think any would go to compensating medical service costs. Based on their excuses in releasing details of other "schemes" costs do they have any idea of what % the compensation should be?

It's just another quick scam idea to get some more money into the trough for the clan. Some genius believing the TAT tourist numbers, multiplies by 500 Baht and hey presto - looks like another good income stream.

[Misterwhisper]

"Welcome to Thailand! Please don't forget to buy your entrance ticket at the booth to your left. Thank you. Enjoy your vacation."

[Daniel5]

So presumably all the people living here on tourist visas are now going to be hit with a ThB 500 bill every time they do a visa run.

Yep