Medical Care for Thai Nationals

[watgate]

My thai g/f is having problems with her neck and I was wondering if anyone knows a competent Dr who can address the problem. Besides the 30 baht scheme where a Thai national can go to a government run hospital if they are sick, what other recources do Thai nationals have if they have a medical issue which might require more extensive treatment. What about if a thai national needs a colocoscopy or develops cancer or some other serious illness? Are they expected to pay out of pocket even if the costs are in the tens of thousands of baht? I know her daughter had a problem in the past with some blood issue and she went to a government run hospital and was basically told by the Dr at the hospital there to don't worry about it ,etc.. Needless to say she went to the hospital at Suan Dok, and at considerable expense on her part, her daughters problem was successfully treated. It sounds like the Health care for Thai nationals is hit and miss and if you don't have sufficient funds for medical care then you are at the mercy of the Government run hospital. So I was wondering if anyone has had any experience with the government run hospitals, and if so, how good was the quality of care and how expensive was it? Lastly, , once again, if anyone can recommend a competent Dr who can address my g/f neck problem, I would be very appreciative.

Edited December 16, 2015 by watgate

[gamini]

I have had quite a bit of experience of government hospitals. I got a so-called 30 Bt free healthcare card when I was a permanent resident 30 years ago. I can only use it in one particular hospital that I have been assigned to where I live. I can also get free emergency treatment at any government hospital. However I prefer to pay. This is my story.

I went into the emergency clinic in a government hospital because of a fairly minor problem which needed urgent attention. I waited for hours for someone to attend to me. And I complained because I saw lots of Thais coming in after me and being treated. I was informed that all those Thais were paying patients and that they had to be attended to before the free patients. So I spent most of the day in the hospital until the doctor finally attended to me and gave me a subscription for medicine. But the worst was yet to come. When I was discharged. I had to wait with a big crowd of people being served by only one window and one for pharmacy. Along the other side of the hospital were some 20 Windows. I asked why I couldn't go there and got the same answer as it was for the paying patients. I had to wait a long time and was given medication that I could have bought in any chemist for a few Baht.

Thereafter I always paid when I went to a government hospital. And there are good doctors in most of them, but you do have to make an appointment to see a specialist and perhaps wait a day or two.but the charges are always very small. Normally a few hundred bt.

to answer your other question about costly treatment, it is possible to get it free, but you might have to wait several months. I needed a heart operation some time back, and was told I would have to wait four months. If I wanted to get it done free

however, at some of the hospitals upcountry far from the big cities you probably get better treatment as a free patient.