Very disappointed with the Thai "specialists"

[Sheryl]

You are not happy with the doctors you have seen. Another doctor, specializing in sinus problems, has been suggested, and I second that suggestion as I have found that doctor to be quite thorough.

I'll do so Sheryl, I'll do so! I'll go Saturday to BKK-hospital. Thanks!

He is also at St Louis on Thursdays and Sundays. Will cost less there.

[johnatong]

You are not happy with the doctors you have seen. Another doctor, specializing in sinus problems, has been suggested, and I second that suggestion as I have found that doctor to be quite thorough.

I'll do so Sheryl, I'll do so! I'll go Saturday to BKK-hospital. Thanks!

If you are unhappy with Thai doctors the answer is very simple-------------- Go Home and consult doctors there!

A very cliched response. ....... "if you don't like it goo home" is really so facile it's a wonder that people are still posting it

Thailand spends a lot of time selling itself as a destination for medical tourism. Furthermore some people living here may need medical services to and the option of flying home may not be readily open to them.

However I think it is important that people realise what a rag-tag lottery of a business the health industry is in Thailand and the more people report their problems the more potential customers and the gullible become aware that it isn't as rosy as put forward by either the industry or the authorities.

In the end though - I think it is important for many people - especially those living here that they keep a "nest-egg" in reserve for the day that they realise in order to get proper treatment they will have to travel home. Remember this may be considerably more than a single air-ticket as airlines will refuse to carry people who they deem are too ill to fly or may put other passengers at risk.

It is well known that so called "heart break, bang your head on the wall" patients exist.

Such people are never satisfied and cannot be "cured".

If you are experiencing major "difficulty" in finding what you regard as a good competent Dr you should consider looking in the mirror and asking "why"?

There are many very good Drs in Thailand.

Edited May 5, 2016 by johnatong

[antoniuni]

You are not happy with the doctors you have seen. Another doctor, specializing in sinus problems, has been suggested, and I second that suggestion as I have found that doctor to be quite thorough.

I'll do so Sheryl, I'll do so! I'll go Saturday to BKK-hospital. Thanks!

He is also at St Louis on Thursdays and Sundays. Will cost less there.

thanks so much Sheryl!

[antoniuni]

johnatong, go first thoroughly through the posts I suggest!

Edited May 5, 2016 by antoniuni

[ammagic]

The problem is that westerners have some health issues which are rare in Thailand. And all too often there is a reluctance to admit this & then begins the runaround. I know -,been there done that. Thais have different nasal structures & don't seem to have the same issues with chronic sinusitis. As I said in an earlier post, forget the normal ENTs, they know nothing about it & are also not so familiar with allergies. In the end I had to go to BK & lo & behold, I needed sinus surgery. It's a bit like skin cancer & looking at suspicious moles - well you know from Sheryl's posts there is very little experience. It would just save a lot of time & headaches if the consulting doctor would just say "I don't know what's wrong -or I have no experience in this area". But that almost never happens. Luckily with a bit of research one can find excellent doctors in BK. But it's not a cheap exercise

M

[impulse]

It is well known that so called "heart break, bang your head on the wall" patients exist.

Such people are never satisfied and cannot be "cured".

If you are experiencing major "difficulty" in finding what you regard as a good competent Dr you should consider looking in the mirror and asking "why"?

There are many very good Drs in Thailand.

In my office, in the 5 years I've been here with less than a dozen expats, we have one guy who spent weeks in hospital being treated and getting worse by the day. His Dad came into town from Europe, saw his condition and dragged him down Sukhumvit to a different hospital where they diagnosed a parasite in his brain that was killing him. A week later, he was on his way home for several months of convalescing before he could return to work again.

Another guy is just now undergoing extensive reconstructive surgery on his jaw from some dental work that went bad, and the dentist kept telling him there was nothing wrong.

Another guy went in for EKG's and stress tests every quarter for 3 years, and finally told the doctor he didn't care if the results were normal, there's something wrong. He ended up with 100% blockage and a triple bypass.where stents would have probably been good had the diagnosis been made 2 or 3 years earlier.

Sure, there are some good doctors in Thailand. But there is also a lot of incompetence. Anyone of my age who's been in Thailand for any length of time probably has their own horror story, many of them happening in the most famous and expensive hospitals in Bangkok- like all the stories out of our office. That's the beauty of working with a bunch of over the hill guys with great insurance. It's not about trying to cheap it out. It's about competence.

BTW, I'm one of those guys above. Not saying which one, because I value my anonymity here.

[cumgranosalum]

It is well known that so called "heart break, bang your head on the wall" patients exist.

Such people are never satisfied and cannot be "cured".

If you are experiencing major "difficulty" in finding what you regard as a good competent Dr you should consider looking in the mirror and asking "why"?

There are many very good Drs in Thailand.

In my office, in the 5 years I've been here with less than a dozen expats, we have one guy who spent weeks in hospital being treated and getting worse by the day. His Dad came into town from Europe, saw his condition and dragged him down Sukhumvit to a different hospital where they diagnosed a parasite in his brain that was killing him. A week later, he was on his way home for several months of convalescing before he could return to work again.

Another guy is just now undergoing extensive reconstructive surgery on his jaw from some dental work that went bad, and the dentist kept telling him there was nothing wrong.

Another guy went in for EKG's and stress tests every quarter for 3 years, and finally told the doctor he didn't care if the results were normal, there's something wrong. He ended up with 100% blockage and a triple bypass.where stents would have probably been good had the diagnosis been made 2 or 3 years earlier.

Sure, there are some good doctors in Thailand. But there is also a lot of incompetence. Anyone of my age who's been in Thailand for any length of time probably has their own horror story, many of them happening in the most famous and expensive hospitals in Bangkok- like all the stories out of our office. That's the beauty of working with a bunch of over the hill guys with great insurance. It's not about trying to cheap it out. It's about competence.

BTW, I'm one of those guys above. Not saying which one, because I value my anonymity here.

I agree with your assessment. The thing is personal anecdote is just that...anecdote - so it really doesn't matter if someone says their doctor was great or appalling, what one needs to look at is the background and why this is likely to happen

Lack of accountability. Poor training marred by corruption, not just of Doctors but ALL levels of medical and non-medical staff in a system that is ludicrously hierarchical, no GP system to speak of, no ambulance to speak of and absolutely no real comeback if you are subjected to negligence.

Of course most people come out "OK".....they are worried when they go into a hospital and happy when they come out - but that is nearer to Stockholm syndrome than any real medical assessment of a place...they don't even know if they had the most appropriate treatment - there are just happy to be alive....and by association they are prepare4d to swear blind that the treatment they got was "excellent" or "top class" - how would they ever know?

[antoniuni]

This weekend is difficult to go because of the public holidays! Next week I'll go and inform you about the status!

[harrry]

I will just say the health care here with one exception has been more than excellent. I am healithier after 8 years here than I was when I left Australia and I have two major chronic conditions that need care.

A ENT specialist here solved a problem which had led to several hospital admissions with recurring chest infections at a cost of 800 baht. First class check with snapshots on the computer monitor to explain the problem.

One doctor who was in emergency caused a probliem...she has never worked in the hospital again and I believe there were many complaints from the one night she did.

[antoniuni]

Rangsit University cancels exams after hi-tech cheating

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/964125/rangsit-university-cancels-exams-after-hi-tech-cheating

[cumgranosalum]

Rangsit University cancels exams after hi-tech cheating

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/964125/rangsit-university-cancels-exams-after-hi-tech-cheating

Anyone who has taught at a University will have encountered the "no fail" syndrome and the lengths to which people will go to get a bit of paper.....in fact the lengths they go to often reduces the value of that bit of paper to little more than a bit of paper.

It's not just straight out cheating, but post exam haggling and "re-appraisal" of results...often linked to family, friendship or gifts.

many people who have lived for years in Thailand fail to appreciate how endemic this sort of stuff is.... the result is that there are MANY, many people out there who simply aren't qualified to do the job they have......and this includes very much the medical profession.

It is all very well for laypeople to cite how much they "enjoyed" being in hospital and hold that up as some blanket assessment of the Thai medical industry, but the truth is that if you look at how training is run, the absurd hierarchical structures and the law operates, you can tell that it is a system that is dangerously full of shortcomings....its like trying to say a car with a wheel missing is very comfortable to ride in......no matter how clean it is or soft the seats look, .it just don't follow reason.

Edited May 9, 2016 by cumgranosalum

[cumgranosalum]

I will just say the health care here with one exception has been more than excellent. I am healithier after 8 years here than I was when I left Australia and I have two major chronic conditions that need care.

A ENT specialist here solved a problem which had led to several hospital admissions with recurring chest infections at a cost of 800 baht. First class check with snapshots on the computer monitor to explain the problem.

One doctor who was in emergency caused a probliem...she has never worked in the hospital again and I believe there were many complaints from the one night she did.

as said time and again, the plural of anecdote isn't data.

[antoniuni]

"Somsak Lolekha, president of the Medical Council of Thailand, said the students will be permanently barred from taking any future tests to become doctors as they have demonstrated clearly unethical behaviour in an exam for a career that demands extraordinary ethical standards."

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/965897/universities-consider-tech-gadget-ban

[antoniuni]

To-day I were able to make an appointment with dr. Songklot at the 17th. I found that he also works in King Chulalongkorn Memorial Hospital.

[cumgranosalum]

"Somsak Lolekha, president of the Medical Council of Thailand, said the students will be permanently barred from taking any future tests to become doctors as they have demonstrated clearly unethical behaviour in an exam for a career that demands extraordinary ethical standards."

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/965897/universities-consider-tech-gadget-ban

well that is unlikely to happen. Strings will be pulled and some if not all will get through the net.