Comfortable on 65k baht?

[justmaybe]

Noting (respectfully) that Nancy's post #116 is taking no prisoners and somewhat spells it out, in my experience colds are nothing but medical situations of any intensity cost more than expected and may benefit from insurance taken out before starting the adventure.

[mr chow]

Deduct 30,000 if you "fall in love" and she has kids and or family. Or if she/ he lies about aforementioned. Now your done to 35k. Glad you like street food!

[MaeJoMTB]

The gov't hospital has a "human rights obligation to treat", but that doesn't necessarily mean they're happy about it. You'll receive the same basic standard of care of the lowest of low Thai people. Poor food, staff that doesn't speak English, wards designed for six beds holding nine. No aircon, wifi, TV on just a few hours a day and then tuned to some Thai game show at top volume.

I've found the government hospitals to offer excellent service for little money.

Nobody eats hospital food anywhere in the world, friends and relatives bring it in.

Room with 6 beds holding 9 ?????? There were 40 beds in the adult ward I was in, but earphones solved that problem.

When my son was in the children's ward 60 beds and up, with a parent sleeping beside each bed.

All the doctors I encountered spoke excellent English, nurses only spoke Thai, but there were plenty of them.

I had the same doctors that were working in CM RAM at a fraction of the price.

(I actually worked it out at 1/40th of CM RAMs charges)

[MaeJoMTB]

World Nomads Insurance,

566GBP for a single UK resident traveling in Thailand.

[hml367]

From your post in a another thread, it seems that you're a tourist. You should have gotten travel insurance and an International Drivers License, with a motorcycle endorsement, BEFORE you came over here.

You're right, any insurance will be void if you have an accident without the appropriate license. Use the search function to see how you can get a Thai drivers license. You can get a one-year license even with a tourist visa.

As for insurance, again, Dr. Google is your friend. There have been numerous threads on this forum about good local sources for comprehensive medical insurance if you plan to stay. At your age, it shouldn't be very expensive.

As for your question about how does it "work" if you owe the hospital a lot of money. Well, if you mess yourself up and are taken to one of the nice private hospitals where they normally take foreigners, they'll stabilize you enough to figure out you don't have insurance then they'll chuck you over to a gov't hospital and hold your passport, or whatever other valuables you have (like an iPhone or whatever) until you can pay that initial bill to the private hospital.

The gov't hospital has a "human rights obligation to treat", but that doesn't necessarily mean they're happy about it. You'll receive the same basic standard of care of the lowest of low Thai people. Poor food, staff that doesn't speak English, wards designed for six beds holding nine. No aircon, wifi, TV on just a few hours a day and then tuned to some Thai game show at top volume. Meanwhile, depending upon your country of origin your embassy/consulate may or may not take an interest in trying to reach your family/friends in your home country to send money so you can make a deposit and upgrade to western meals and maybe to a nicer room. Until you make a deposit of at least 100,000 baht, they'll figure you're just going to walk out the door as soon as possible, especially if you're young and a tourist. It happens frequently. You see, unlike the private hospitals, the gov't hospitals don't hold passports and as of now, they still aren't very good at notifying the police and immigration when someone "escapes" (yes that's their word) from paying a hospital bill. I see all the writing on the wall where that may change and it could be grounds for arrest when you try to leave the country. It's not a good idea to owe the Thai gov't money.

NancyL,

What is a "lowest of low Thai" person?

Is there a difference in the food served in the different types of wards in government hospitals? Suan Dok for instance.

[FritsSikkink]

You need health insurance or $3M baht in savings to cover emergencies. As long as you take zero risks (car v scooter) and can afford yearly checkups you are OK. Zero adventures on motor bike to Laos, etc. You also need to pay gym fees so you can work out. Eat in the basement of Promenada, Airport Plaza or another mall. Payap University Cafe has healthy food. Do not expect to eat on the street and escape illness.

nonsense, you have no issues eating from the foodstalls. need to pay gym fees? ROFL

you will be fine on 65k if you don't drink

Edited January 23, 2016 by FritsSikkink

[chiang mai]

From your post in a another thread, it seems that you're a tourist. You should have gotten travel insurance and an International Drivers License, with a motorcycle endorsement, BEFORE you came over here.

You're right, any insurance will be void if you have an accident without the appropriate license. Use the search function to see how you can get a Thai drivers license. You can get a one-year license even with a tourist visa.

As for insurance, again, Dr. Google is your friend. There have been numerous threads on this forum about good local sources for comprehensive medical insurance if you plan to stay. At your age, it shouldn't be very expensive.

As for your question about how does it "work" if you owe the hospital a lot of money. Well, if you mess yourself up and are taken to one of the nice private hospitals where they normally take foreigners, they'll stabilize you enough to figure out you don't have insurance then they'll chuck you over to a gov't hospital and hold your passport, or whatever other valuables you have (like an iPhone or whatever) until you can pay that initial bill to the private hospital.

The gov't hospital has a "human rights obligation to treat", but that doesn't necessarily mean they're happy about it. You'll receive the same basic standard of care of the lowest of low Thai people. Poor food, staff that doesn't speak English, wards designed for six beds holding nine. No aircon, wifi, TV on just a few hours a day and then tuned to some Thai game show at top volume. Meanwhile, depending upon your country of origin your embassy/consulate may or may not take an interest in trying to reach your family/friends in your home country to send money so you can make a deposit and upgrade to western meals and maybe to a nicer room. Until you make a deposit of at least 100,000 baht, they'll figure you're just going to walk out the door as soon as possible, especially if you're young and a tourist. It happens frequently. You see, unlike the private hospitals, the gov't hospitals don't hold passports and as of now, they still aren't very good at notifying the police and immigration when someone "escapes" (yes that's their word) from paying a hospital bill. I see all the writing on the wall where that may change and it could be grounds for arrest when you try to leave the country. It's not a good idea to owe the Thai gov't money.

NancyL,

What is a "lowest of low Thai" person?

Is there a difference in the food served in the different types of wards in government hospitals? Suan Dok for instance.

Yes there is, from first hand experience at Suan Dok (as an observer whilst Mrs CM and another relative were patients:

Patients on general wards are served one type of food, essentially basic Thi food with no frills. Patients using insurance schemes are housed in separate wards where food quality is several notches higher - paying westerners are served yet a third type of food, pseudo western style food.

[chiang mai]

I'm going to caveat my earlier answer of yes, you can live here on 65K easily, the caveat being that you also need a pot of savings in reserve. This is because most incomes carry a risk at source and another risk from government attack, for example:

Private pension income is subject to attack from government in the form of taxation either in the home country or here, this might come in the form of direct taxation or removal of personal allowances that currently allow the pension to be tax free. Yes yes yes I know, I know what the rules are now but I also know what the direction is hence I don't rule out anything.

Private and drawdown pensions are also at risk of a tax attack, drawdown pensions are at risk of economic attack in the form of a reduced pension pot resulting from market crashes.

Interest rates which drive income for so many pensioners are at risk of staying low, not just for a long time but for a really long time, that translates into reduced income.

So, yes you can live here quite easily on 65k a month but you also need a reserve fund to cover you through the lean times when the above happens.

[slerickson]

Money won't be a problem, but I think you will get bored with street food. Personally, I had 3 years of eating South East Asian street food 3 times a day every day and one morning I woke up and swore never to eat it again. That was 5 years ago, and I honestly haven't had Thai food since - I'm able to do that because I cook every day, but not everyone shares my love of cooking.

My only unique advise to you is don't burn your bridges back home. Not straight away, anyway. I've lived in a lot of different countries so know a bit about it; once the novelty wears off, and it will, you may find that you don't like it that much after all. 'Back home' has a lot of pull for some people, even people who don't expect it to. You aren't talking about a holiday, you're talking about for good. What if you don't like it or develop a serious illness which needs intensive care? Short time, 24 hour care is cheap here compared to back home, particularly if you're from US, but a stroke or Parkison's or MS? Could be years of assisted living, could be for the rest of your life, could be not as good as in US, could be just as expensive without the things you're used to around you. Hopefully that will never happen, but if it does and you want or need to go back, you will be a lot better off if you have something to go back to.

I strongly recommend that If you own your own place now, rent it out if possible or if you need to sell, buy a small apartment as an investment so that you aren't locked out of the property market should you decide to go back at some stage in the future. Once you're out you will likely never get back in at your age. Living in a developing country isn't for everyone, just like living in a city or living in the countryside isn't for everyone. Until you try it, you don't know so it's a good idea to keep your options open. Even if you don't go back, it should be a good inflation-proof investment as long as you're not in a bad area.

Not burning your bridges is particularly important for you as you are relatively young. We were 43 and 44 when we retired 8 years ago, and while I'm happy to potter around in the kitchen, and read all day long, Mr K occasionally gets bored and more particularly, misses the social interactions of being in a workplace 5 days a week. He's just left for a 3 day trip, hired a big bike and away he goes (hiring one once a month for a couple of days is better than buying one in a lot of ways; it isn't sitting in the garage most of the time because riding around town on anything but a scooter is not practical, no maintenance costs, no up front costs, a different new or newish bike every time you go, no depreciation or trouble selling it, being a regular customer he is able to tag along on any arranged tours the bike shop has (despite the comment in an earlier post, he loved the ride to Laos with half a dozen others last year), the list of reasons for not buying goes on). Every now and again though, he gets a dreamy look in his eyes and talks about going back to Melbourne or maybe to the mines in Western Australia and is quite serious about it until I talk him down. We've been together for 36 years so can bounce off each other which stops us being truly lonely; many of the people we know enjoy their lives here but despite having many friends are very lonely and very bored, although very few people will admit it. I have no doubt some would go back home tomorrow but it isn't financially viable for them, even though they don't have any possessions to dispose of or any other material reasons to stop them or hold them up.

I've always said to people don't look at it as moving to a new country, look at it like it's a long holiday. Almost 30 years ago we left England and went for a long working holiday in New Zealand and a couple of years later when we decided it wasn't for us we went for a long working holiday in Australia and since then we've had long holidays in Malaysia then Thailand - we're still on one in Thailand, 6 years and counting. If it's a holiday, you have something to go back to and there's no embarrassment of those people - you know the ones I mean - saying 'I knew you couldn't hack living there'. Have a long holiday here then a long holiday in Cambodia then a long holiday in Vietnam and before you know it you'll be older and wiser and can either choose which country you like best or continue to have long holidays in different countries or different parts of those countries. It keeps things fresh, you'll make friends in each of the places you go to and going back to see friends is always good. We're based in Chiang Mai but spend a lot of our time going for (short) holidays to visit some of the friends we've made along the way.

It's already been mentioned, but please make sure you have an insurance policy, and make sure that includes medivac. It probably won't be cheap, but insurance is always a waste of money until you have to make a claim.

Most importantly though, enjoy your life. I'm sure you'll enjoy being in Chiang Mai, and maybe you'll enjoy being in Saigon or Penang or the islands down south or those in the Philipines. Pack a bag of clothes, a good pair of walking shoes and a full Kindle (you can buy everything else when you get here) and go for it.

Konini I appreciate all the info and advise.

I was planning on selling my house but you and others have me re-thinking the plan. I believe the wise thing to do would be to rent it out for a while, just in case.

When I left the US last year I turned my house over to a leasing company. Rents in Portland, OR are sky high so it creates a good cash flow and pays down the mortgage and increasing in value. I wouldn't be able to return and buy into the market again so hanging on makes sense. I'd recommend you doing the same but success depends on your local market, condition of your property and luck I suppose. Edited January 24, 2016 by slerickson

[hml367]

From your post in a another thread, it seems that you're a tourist. You should have gotten travel insurance and an International Drivers License, with a motorcycle endorsement, BEFORE you came over here.

You're right, any insurance will be void if you have an accident without the appropriate license. Use the search function to see how you can get a Thai drivers license. You can get a one-year license even with a tourist visa.

As for insurance, again, Dr. Google is your friend. There have been numerous threads on this forum about good local sources for comprehensive medical insurance if you plan to stay. At your age, it shouldn't be very expensive.

As for your question about how does it "work" if you owe the hospital a lot of money. Well, if you mess yourself up and are taken to one of the nice private hospitals where they normally take foreigners, they'll stabilize you enough to figure out you don't have insurance then they'll chuck you over to a gov't hospital and hold your passport, or whatever other valuables you have (like an iPhone or whatever) until you can pay that initial bill to the private hospital.

The gov't hospital has a "human rights obligation to treat", but that doesn't necessarily mean they're happy about it. You'll receive the same basic standard of care of the lowest of low Thai people. Poor food, staff that doesn't speak English, wards designed for six beds holding nine. No aircon, wifi, TV on just a few hours a day and then tuned to some Thai game show at top volume. Meanwhile, depending upon your country of origin your embassy/consulate may or may not take an interest in trying to reach your family/friends in your home country to send money so you can make a deposit and upgrade to western meals and maybe to a nicer room. Until you make a deposit of at least 100,000 baht, they'll figure you're just going to walk out the door as soon as possible, especially if you're young and a tourist. It happens frequently. You see, unlike the private hospitals, the gov't hospitals don't hold passports and as of now, they still aren't very good at notifying the police and immigration when someone "escapes" (yes that's their word) from paying a hospital bill. I see all the writing on the wall where that may change and it could be grounds for arrest when you try to leave the country. It's not a good idea to owe the Thai gov't money.

NancyL,

What is a "lowest of low Thai" person?

Is there a difference in the food served in the different types of wards in government hospitals? Suan Dok for instance.

Yes there is, from first hand experience at Suan Dok (as an observer whilst Mrs CM and another relative were patients:

Patients on general wards are served one type of food, essentially basic Thi food with no frills. Patients using insurance schemes are housed in separate wards where food quality is several notches higher - paying westerners are served yet a third type of food, pseudo western style food.

I got out of Suan Dok less than a week ago, after being admitted for 6 days. I paid cash for everything. I was served Thai food. The food was acceptable as many less than hi-so Thai restaurant/roadside/holes-in-the-wall Thai food I eat all the time. I would say the food was basic with no frills. Although there was fruit sometimes.

It could very well be that a multiple bed ward had different food... I cannot say. But the food I was served, without asking for Western, Thai, or any food at all, as I said, was quite acceptable.

And I did give a wai to everyone when I left.

[Konini]

World Nomads Insurance,

566GBP for a single UK resident traveling in Thailand.

Wow, that seems a lot. If you start any conversation with them via email then act like you aren't interested the price comes down very quickly, the people on the end of enquiry emails are just sales people after all. I got a 20% off discount/promo code from then last year which they told me is good for 3 years, I'll have to try it in the next month or so when our policy expires. The reason I had to contact them was because it had gone up so much, and thinking back the Aussie dollar would have been about 20% down on the previous couple of years so that would explain the difference.

I definitely paid within a few dollars of AU$1,200 for a couple for last 3 years which is about US$1,000 and GBP600 at the moment but would have been much more in both currencies for the first 2 years, and that's for worldwide excluding USA. Last year when it was due the South Pacific Peso, which has massive rises and falls against international currencies, had started falling (I hope it stops soon, but I just know it won't). If that theory is correct, and if all policies worldwide are in US dollars just quoted in local currency, then that 20% discount won't be enough for this year. I think they will also arrive at the figure quoted by price levels in your home country as they have to stay competitive, and other companies in Aus were all still around the $1,200 mark, the only difference being that you had to actually be in Australia when you paid for the policy. Sounds sensible, anyway.

I realise that my words are all over the place here, but they make sense to me.

[MaeJoMTB]

^^ $780Au = 655gbp ..... they're ripping off the British, that's why.

$450Au extra if you say you live in the UK and not Australia.

[Konini]

??? AU$780 is GPB380, but the thing to look at is how does the quote stack up to identical policies in UK? Same ballpark? The World Nomads one was within $50 of all the other policies in Aus I got quotes on for the first couple of years, it was just last year that it rose, which just happened to be when the dollar first started to fall back from a few years of record highs. I think being competitive with others in your home country is probably the best way to judge fairness. I know of hundreds and there probably are tens of thousands of Brits who don't have comprehensive travel insurance, most have the one you get for a fiver or a tenner and think that's enough - some will argue that what I pay GBP600 for is exactly the same as the one they paid GBP10 for and won't accept that it isn't. You might get your money back if the travel agent goes bust, but you won't get very far on a Medivac for a policy that costs less than a tenner. Being isolated at the bottom of the world, Australians tend to think about how they will get back if everything goes horribly wrong and to that end are constantly reminded in both sob stories and how-could-anyone-be-so-stupid-as-to-not-insure stories in the media about the costs of medivac- basically a fully staffed and equipped air ambulance capable of doing very long distances and doing those thousands of miles at very low altitudes (something to do with the oxygen tanks) - and even the shortest hop is unaffordable by most people. Bali to Darwin, which is the closest holiday destination/capital city with major hospital and only a couple of hours flight comes in at about a hundred thousand dollars per trip. Being constantly reminded about this and seeing or reading about people dying in pain and horrible circumstances after 6 weeks in an Asian awful bush hospital - medivac is never arranged before they know that you are good for the payment - and no cheap travel insurance of the kind I've seen in UK that doesn't really cover anything, means a huge number of Aussies travelling overseas have full insurance so while the population is much smaller, there is a lot of competition in this market which works to keep the cost down. Seeing what others charge in your home country really is the only way to check pricing, otherwise you're comparing apples to oranges, and even in the same country including USA in the policy can literally double the price.

Of course, my theory on our World Nomads price rise last year may be no more than nonsense speculation based on a co-incidence. I haven't looked at the figures for this year yet. We were happy with the Aus policy, it was just that it was due to expire and we were changing our 'going back' time from March to October and were unable to bring ourselves to risk fudging it ad pretending that we were there, which would be grounds for the policy to be voided if we needed to major claim. No reason for them to even find out that we weren't in the country when we clicked 'Apply', but to us, it was not worth the risk. As you can see, the media has done a very good scare job on us not being covered for medivac.

If we find it's gone up a lot and they won't further discount this year, we'll get something to cover us for the 6 months or so until we are back in Melbourne later this year and will go back to having an Australian company insure us.

[fey]

I'm calling a troll. Even living at a hotel would be less then 60K a month.

3m baht for emergencies. LOL. That's really living life on the edge. Could always buy a house if needed.

Edited January 24, 2016 by fey

[buzzah]

??? AU$780 is GPB380, but the thing to look at is how does the quote stack up to identical policies in UK? Same ballpark? The World Nomads one was within $50 of all the other policies in Aus I got quotes on for the first couple of years, it was just last year that it rose, which just happened to be when the dollar first started to fall back from a few years of record highs. I think being competitive with others in your home country is probably the best way to judge fairness. I know of hundreds and there probably are tens of thousands of Brits who don't have comprehensive travel insurance, most have the one you get for a fiver or a tenner and think that's enough - some will argue that what I pay GBP600 for is exactly the same as the one they paid GBP10 for and won't accept that it isn't. You might get your money back if the travel agent goes bust, but you won't get very far on a Medivac for a policy that costs less than a tenner. Being isolated at the bottom of the world, Australians tend to think about how they will get back if everything goes horribly wrong and to that end are constantly reminded in both sob stories and how-could-anyone-be-so-stupid-as-to-not-insure stories in the media about the costs of medivac- basically a fully staffed and equipped air ambulance capable of doing very long distances and doing those thousands of miles at very low altitudes (something to do with the oxygen tanks) - and even the shortest hop is unaffordable by most people. Bali to Darwin, which is the closest holiday destination/capital city with major hospital and only a couple of hours flight comes in at about a hundred thousand dollars per trip. Being constantly reminded about this and seeing or reading about people dying in pain and horrible circumstances after 6 weeks in an Asian awful bush hospital - medivac is never arranged before they know that you are good for the payment - and no cheap travel insurance of the kind I've seen in UK that doesn't really cover anything, means a huge number of Aussies travelling overseas have full insurance so while the population is much smaller, there is a lot of competition in this market which works to keep the cost down. Seeing what others charge in your home country really is the only way to check pricing, otherwise you're comparing apples to oranges, and even in the same country including USA in the policy can literally double the price.

Of course, my theory on our World Nomads price rise last year may be no more than nonsense speculation based on a co-incidence. I haven't looked at the figures for this year yet. We were happy with the Aus policy, it was just that it was due to expire and we were changing our 'going back' time from March to October and were unable to bring ourselves to risk fudging it ad pretending that we were there, which would be grounds for the policy to be voided if we needed to major claim. No reason for them to even find out that we weren't in the country when we clicked 'Apply', but to us, it was not worth the risk. As you can see, the media has done a very good scare job on us not being covered for medivac.

If we find it's gone up a lot and they won't further discount this year, we'll get something to cover us for the 6 months or so until we are back in Melbourne later this year and will go back to having an Australian company insure us.

Having a good insurance is vital, despite the cost. We never used to take out travel insurance until we lived in Australia. Because we are older (in our 50's) and because they do impress it on you here, we have been doing so. Our last trip to the Maldives, my husband slipped on a couple of wet steps and fell awkwardly. Ended up with three broken ribs and a punctured lung from them moving him. Needless to say, I was finally thankful for that insurance as we had to medivac'd to Bangkok hospital where he spent another 10 days. We worked out between the the hospitals, medivac, treatment etc, plus having to fly him back business class because he had to lie down... All came to about AUD$80,000. I will never go without good insurance again. Just that one instance has made it worthwhile paying for on any future trips. Of course, when you make a claim, you start meeting people with similar stories of how they 'thank god' had insurance.

And also note, they will not medivac you to your home country. They only take you to the closest decent hospital that can deal with your problem. You then have to stay there until you are well enough to to get home.

Edited January 24, 2016 by buzzah

[roo860]

NancyL,

What is a "lowest of low Thai" person?

[amexpat]

^^ "Having a good insurance is vital, despite the cost. We never used to take out travel insurance until we lived in Australia. Because we are older (in our 50's)..."

You may find, when you are Super-older (in your 60's) that good insurance isn't available. Maximum payout may be only about 10 times the annual premium. Considering the

decuctibles, exclusions, limits, it's hardly worth it for most people.

[chiang mai]

I'm calling a troll. Even living at a hotel would be less then 60K a month.

3m baht for emergencies. LOL. That's really living life on the edge. Could always buy a house if needed.

Nope, that really is the way it is here, 3 mill. wont go that far if you find yourself in RAM or Bangkok Hospital needing a liver transplant or similar.

As for the 60k a month in a hotel, I think we're talking here about people living their lives rather more fully than just on a day to day basis in a single room.

[JaseTheBass]

If you don't drink or smoke then you can live on an " ALL IN " perfectly well on 15,000 baht a month!!!!!

Regards to all our viewers,

Canary sun ( your lovable Thai Visa friend... ) x

Or eat proper food. Or have air-conditioning. Or have a life.

[TheSiemReaper]

If you don't drink or smoke then you can live on an " ALL IN " perfectly well on 15,000 baht a month!!!!!

Regards to all our viewers,

Canary sun ( your lovable Thai Visa friend... ) x

Or eat proper food. Or have air-conditioning. Or have a life.

Couldn't agree more. No health insurance, prison cell of a room and an all street food diet? No thanks.

[JaseTheBass]

NancyL,

What is a "lowest of low Thai" person?

Someone in 'public service' in my experience.

[NancyL]

NancyL,

What is a "lowest of low Thai" person?

Someone in 'public service' in my experience.

Someone who doesn't have health insurance provided by their employer, privately purchased health insurance or their own source of funds.

In other words, a Thai person who is utilizing what is commonly called the "30-baht insurance program". If a Thai person is hospitalized at Suan Dok, (Majaraj) Hospital, the university hospital, they've either been referred out of their local hospital if they're relying on the 30 baht insurance program or they are part of another insurance scheme or they have their own funds. Poor Thai people cannot just show up at Suan Dok expecting treatment for free -- they're suppose to go to the hospital we're they're registered for the 30-baht program and that wouldn't be Suan Dok.

If a Thai person is hospitalized at Suan Dok under that program and doesn't have any extra funds, then they're placed in a very basic ward room, given a monotonous Thai food -- same meal it seems every meal, with copious quantities of white rice and a hard-boiled egg. I don't know what it is with the hard boiled eggs -- patients with the basic menu get those three times daily! And some newer western meds aren't on the "gov't list" so if family members can't front the money upfront, they don't receive them.

[roo860]

NancyL,

What is a "lowest of low Thai" person?

Someone in 'public service' in my experience.

Someone who doesn't have health insurance provided by their employer, privately purchased health insurance or their own source of funds.

In other words, a Thai person who is utilizing what is commonly called the "30-baht insurance program". If a Thai person is hospitalized at Suan Dok, (Majaraj) Hospital, the university hospital, they've either been referred out of their local hospital if they're relying on the 30 baht insurance program or they are part of another insurance scheme or they have their own funds. Poor Thai people cannot just show up at Suan Dok expecting treatment for free -- they're suppose to go to the hospital we're they're registered for the 30-baht program and that wouldn't be Suan Dok.

If a Thai person is hospitalized at Suan Dok under that program and doesn't have any extra funds, then they're placed in a very basic ward room, given a monotonous Thai food -- same meal it seems every meal, with copious quantities of white rice and a hard-boiled egg. I don't know what it is with the hard boiled eggs -- patients with the basic menu get those three times daily! And some newer western meds aren't on the "gov't list" so if family members can't front the money upfront, they don't receive them.

A 'poorer thai person' would have been a nicer way to describe them.

[NancyL]

NancyL,

What is a "lowest of low Thai" person?

Someone in 'public service' in my experience.

Someone who doesn't have health insurance provided by their employer, privately purchased health insurance or their own source of funds.

In other words, a Thai person who is utilizing what is commonly called the "30-baht insurance program". If a Thai person is hospitalized at Suan Dok, (Majaraj) Hospital, the university hospital, they've either been referred out of their local hospital if they're relying on the 30 baht insurance program or they are part of another insurance scheme or they have their own funds. Poor Thai people cannot just show up at Suan Dok expecting treatment for free -- they're suppose to go to the hospital we're they're registered for the 30-baht program and that wouldn't be Suan Dok.

If a Thai person is hospitalized at Suan Dok under that program and doesn't have any extra funds, then they're placed in a very basic ward room, given a monotonous Thai food -- same meal it seems every meal, with copious quantities of white rice and a hard-boiled egg. I don't know what it is with the hard boiled eggs -- patients with the basic menu get those three times daily! And some newer western meds aren't on the "gov't list" so if family members can't front the money upfront, they don't receive them.

A 'poorer thai person' would have been a nicer way to describe them.

Maybe, but they're sometimes regarded as "the lowest of low Thai people" by the other Thai people around them.

[hml367]

NancyL,

What is a "lowest of low Thai" person?

Someone in 'public service' in my experience.

Someone who doesn't have health insurance provided by their employer, privately purchased health insurance or their own source of funds.

In other words, a Thai person who is utilizing what is commonly called the "30-baht insurance program". If a Thai person is hospitalized at Suan Dok, (Majaraj) Hospital, the university hospital, they've either been referred out of their local hospital if they're relying on the 30 baht insurance program or they are part of another insurance scheme or they have their own funds. Poor Thai people cannot just show up at Suan Dok expecting treatment for free -- they're suppose to go to the hospital we're they're registered for the 30-baht program and that wouldn't be Suan Dok.

If a Thai person is hospitalized at Suan Dok under that program and doesn't have any extra funds, then they're placed in a very basic ward room, given a monotonous Thai food -- same meal it seems every meal, with copious quantities of white rice and a hard-boiled egg. I don't know what it is with the hard boiled eggs -- patients with the basic menu get those three times daily! And some newer western meds aren't on the "gov't list" so if family members can't front the money upfront, they don't receive them.

Thank you for that clarification - poor I can understand - lowest of low sounds pretty bad description to me.

[roo860]

NancyL,

What is a "lowest of low Thai" person?

Someone in 'public service' in my experience.

Someone who doesn't have health insurance provided by their employer, privately purchased health insurance or their own source of funds.

In other words, a Thai person who is utilizing what is commonly called the "30-baht insurance program". If a Thai person is hospitalized at Suan Dok, (Majaraj) Hospital, the university hospital, they've either been referred out of their local hospital if they're relying on the 30 baht insurance program or they are part of another insurance scheme or they have their own funds. Poor Thai people cannot just show up at Suan Dok expecting treatment for free -- they're suppose to go to the hospital we're they're registered for the 30-baht program and that wouldn't be Suan Dok.

If a Thai person is hospitalized at Suan Dok under that program and doesn't have any extra funds, then they're placed in a very basic ward room, given a monotonous Thai food -- same meal it seems every meal, with copious quantities of white rice and a hard-boiled egg. I don't know what it is with the hard boiled eggs -- patients with the basic menu get those three times daily! And some newer western meds aren't on the "gov't list" so if family members can't front the money upfront, they don't receive them.

A 'poorer thai person' would have been a nicer way to describe them.

Maybe, but they're sometimes regarded as "the lowest of low Thai people" by the other Thai people around them.

Your from Thailand then?

[chiang mai]

It's a turn of phrase, a descriptor, probably not the best choice but we now all know what it means, it's not exactly relevant of the topic so let's not make a mountain out of it

[pgrahmm]

Although I haven't read the entire thread; it did get me reviewing my spending.....

Our house is 16,000b per month.....I give my wife 46,000b to run the house (same budget I had as a single years ago - that I went over because of being out and about all the time).....Within that budget she has no problem taking care of our family bills for four & sends 5,000b a month to MIL...If we eat out she pays it from her budget → if my idea and western food - I pay.....If some is left she banks it for herself....I've also seen her withdraw for family use if she goes over budget.....

She keeps a journal that goes back years detailing who/where/why/how she spends the money.....If I have a question going back months or years about something we might have to respend on she has the date/amount/receipt within 5 minutes.....

You'd think - add another 19,000b on to 65k and = easy.....

We don't light up the town/bar hop/go out all that much.....

But → I am easily spending over double of the amount of 65,000b.....No one else has access to grab money & and she's never asked for family (she got that phone call one time - arranged a 20k credit off her own 50,000b credit account she had before we met & and made the monthly 700b payments out of household until paid back → I didn't mind or care)....

Now - it's up to me to figure out how I'M spending or frittering it away - in such an unexciting way....

If I decide to suprise/save for a trip or adventure I can squirrel away/bank 40-60,000b month....But if not doing that it sort of evaporates.....

Thanks for the thread and homework assignment.....

Edited January 24, 2016 by pgrahmm

[roo860]

It's a turn of phrase, a descriptor, probably not the best choice but we now all know what it means, it's not exactly relevant of the topic so let's not make a mountain out of it

You would expect a bit better use of language from the apparent 'poster of the year'.

So let's leave it there.

Cheers.

[MaeJoMTB]

If a Thai person is hospitalized at Suan Dok under that program and doesn't have any extra funds, then they're placed in a very basic ward room, given a monotonous Thai food -- same meal it seems every meal, with copious quantities of white rice and a hard-boiled egg. I don't know what it is with the hard boiled eggs -- patients with the basic menu get those three times daily! And some newer western meds aren't on the "gov't list" so if family members can't front the money upfront, they don't receive them.

My Mil,

Referred to Suan Dok by her local hospital (3 day wait between local hospital visit and being admitted to SD),

Diagnosed with Liver flukes, liver cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes.

Operation for the flukes and cancer with a 1 week stay at SD,

Bagful of meds for the past 3 years with monthly check ups at the hospital.

Hospital food was better than she usually fed herself in the village.

They did a great job all free of charge.

Normal Thai people are the lowest of the low?

I don't think so!

Edited January 24, 2016 by MaeJoMTB