Dutch man with cancer says: Hua Hin Hospital fleeced me because I'm a foreigner

[maccastime]

Been in Thailand all these years.ever heard of Health Insurance. cant believe you are concerned over little monies.that being said i wish you good health.

[maccastime]

Just now, maccastime said:

Been in Thailand all these years.ever heard of Health Insurance. cant believe you are concerned over little monies.that being said i wish you good health.

They have a special office on the ground floor near the lifts.it is very small.staff in there speak english.and i have found them very helpful.

Take the account to them they can explain all to you.before u head upstairs to pay.

[Jack Mountain]

His problem is that he not want to pay 100 baht/liter for gas at the gas station instead of the normal 25 baht, without explanation. If that's a Dutch thing, so be it ....

[leeedwards]

4 hours ago, Aussie Jo said:

You'd think that after living here 10 years that he'd be used to it! BTW - why didn't his Thai wife question the bill for him? Oh yeah I forgot - doctors (in this country) are always right!

Haha. Just this week I took my son to the BNH hospital in bangkok with a chest infection, which the doctor told my wife he got it from the rain, to which I replied "no" to the doctor referring to viruses and air droplet infection. The doctor's face was priceless. To hear a so called highly trained professional spouting old wives tales nonsense really annoyed me. What hope is there when this kind of thing happens. Don't think she'd ever been questioned before. 

[straylight]

Just plain stupid if you are a foreigner here without health and car insurance.

[williamgeorgeallen]

this story is a troll. 4 pages of replies shows it is a good one. guy does not have health insurance then he must pay the price for stupidity. dosent matter how many years you live here you must pay, you are a foreigner. complaining about a small amount of money shows the guy is straight out stupid. as someone else said he should be happy he has recovered.

[Alwyn]

This guy needs to go home and get it sorted, stop messing around in Micky Mouse hospitals and Micky Mouse Doctors. As far as I understand there is only one Radiotherapy treatment machine in the whole of Thailand and this is 14 years old now. This means a 12 week course as opposed to 4 weeks with the modern radiation arc machines.i came back in 2014 just before the coup for business reasons. I got diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer. I did some research via an insurance company and for the all of the scans (there was a lot of them), the hormone therapy and radiation treatment it would have cost me some £60,000 and that's with the insurance company! I'm now on an end game treatment called enzalutamide and the cost for this is £25,500 (to the nhs) per course. He would never get this quality of treatment in Thailand as mostly, it's not available. If I'd stayed in Thailand I probably would have been dead a year ago. Go home mate...

[BuckBee]

Thai friend of mine got ripped off & poor treatment at Bangkok Christian, she talked to me about it as knew my sister was a doctor. Long story short they tried ripping her off of over 100,000Baht for operation on what they said was bladder cancer already spent 30,000 on tests :-O, my doctor sister from phone only chat & accurate symptoms details thought highly likely severe bladder endometriosis .

I accompanied her to see doctor who spoke english reasonably well & accepted phone chat to my Sister, conclusion from that was he incompetent & just milking commission from test fees and potential Op.

I took her to Chula and although slow process and couple of trips got her sorted with antibiotics for bladder infection & injections to control the bladder endometriosis, cost less than 2,000Bt and doctor there diagnosed it easily in 10 minutes & 1 utrasound to back it up !

Be careful in Thailand as doctors are much same as taxi drivers in brain size & bu11sh1t ...

[Kabula]

If you’re not a Thai Citizen, expect to pay more.

 

Accept it or leave.

 

It's like that in most foreign countries.

 

What he should have done is asked for a written quote and attempted to negotiate with a hospital administrator prior to treatment.  He should have known that after living here for so many years.

 

In my opinion, this is an unreasonable complaint.

 

Hopefully, the hospital will not file a civil complaint,  law suit against the man for libel.

[atyclb]

4 hours ago, aussiandrew said:

If the treatment worked and you are healthy again. Thats great look after yourself and get on with your life. All the best.

 

great, so if you get drinks added to your bill that you didnt order or approve as long as you got drunk its ok, get on with life.

[chuang]

Nothing is for free....300 baht holycow....

[hgma]

Why go on air with this.....he is entitled to Thai security just because his is married to a Thai.

Let his Thai wife then sort it out.....jeeez a real shoe string stay .

[nontabury]

2 hours ago, PremiumLane said:

 

Well after 10 years of residency the foreigner would have been paying taxes... and there is a ton of evidence that shows foreigners in the UK put more into the economy than take out. 

 

I didn't think the Dutch guy had not paid taxes here, don't know where you got that from? I was pointing out the stupidity of the statement about foreigners not paying into the UK system. 

 

  Have a friend in the UK with a Thai wife,she has been living there for about 18yrs, never worked in the U.K. So obviously she has never paid income tax. Her husband who claims industrial injury benifits, will of course pay vat on goods purchased.

  The Dutchman will have paid tax on any income he may have earned in Thailand ( article does not say ) or if he's living off foreign  income, then again he would likely have paid Thai vat, from that same imported money.

 

[nontabury]

1 hour ago, gios50hk said:

I recently suffered a bad accident which resulted in my having to attend Queen Sirikit hospital near Sattahip. As part of the diagnostic process I was required to have several x-rays - but before you are allowed to be x-rayed you must pay first. At the cashier's office and clearly displayed is a sign that reads - ''Foreigners must pay 50% more than Thais''! I have never ever witnessed such overt racism before!

 

2 hours ago, robblok said:

 

Stevenl

 

I do think its more expensive for a foreigner because we don't have the luxury of the 30 bt system. But if a foreigner and a Thai both get treated in a public hospital I do believe they are charged the same price. Once I was treated in a public hospital (I had health insurance but the private hospital did not have the equipment to do the operation and the public one did) and it was real cheap for an operation.

 

My ex was once treated in a private hospital and it was real expensive (she got paid by the insurance so no cost to us). 

 

A great deal depends on where your treated.

 

  You believe that Thais and foreigners are charged the same,please look at Gios50hk posts 86+ 88. I can confirm this is the policy at that hospital. Also my Thai wife on being discharged from another hospital after giving birth to our 2nd child , was presented with an inflated bill for medical care plus two nights stay in a private room, this she immediately questioned. They told her it was that high due to her having a Farang husband. After arguing with them for 20mins ( by repeating " but I am a Thai person,I am a Thai person" ) they finally relented and reduced the bill by 40%.

[robblok]

1 minute ago, nontabury said:

 

 

  You believe that Thais and foreigners are charged the same,please look at Gios50hk posts 86+ 88. I can confirm this is the policy at that hospital. Also my Thai wife on being discharged from another hospital after giving birth to our 2nd child , was presented with an inflated bill for treatment plus two nights stay in a private room, this she immediately questioned. They told her it was that high due to her having a Farang husband. After arguing with them for 20mins ( by repeating " but I am a Thai person,I am a Thai person" ) they finally relented and reduced the bill by 40%.

 

Then what I believe is not right.. I do know that i was treated fair and my experiences were good.. Yours were not and not less valid. So overcharging happens.. now I wonder if its the norm or not. 

[keskeseksa]

Hua Hin Hospital is so inexpensive I wonder how they can survive. Their service is excellent. Being of Dutch nationality, I apologise for this abject Dutch citizen. Let him get his treatment at private hospitals.

He seems young so I wonder what he does for a living because he seems to have much time to go around slandering the country that hosts him.

[Maestro]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

appealed to Thai reporters to help with his case as it has got tied up in red tape for four months now with no action.

 

What is the date.shown on the invoice? I make it out as 27 May 2015.

[hugh2121]

Charges don't seem so high to me, maybe I'm missing something.

Recently I had a deep wound from an accidental dog bite. Accidental because I put myself between two dogs who were fighting each other. I went first to Phyathai Hospital where I was told the fee just to see a doctor would be 2500 baht and any treatment would cost extra. I refused this and went elsewhere. My point in this, is that I thought the PM was supposed to have put a stop to such over charging with all charges prominently displayed. Not at this hospital.

I subsequently went to Srinakarin Hospital where I was given rabies and tetanus jabs plus antibiotics and pain killers having seen 2 doctors. Total cost about 1000 baht.

[swanny321]

5 hours ago, Rob13 said:

Overcharged maybe; hardly sounds like a 'fleecing' though.

 

 

  He's certainly furry enough to get fleeced!

[KBsinter]

I use Samitivej in Bangkok. Never been ripped off. Thais pay exactly the same as farangs

 

SAMITIVEJ,  Is a private hospital !!! had alot of treatment there, very good, I was under the impression

we where discussing goverment hospitals LOL

[wvavin]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

He says that he has been married to a Thai woman for ten years and should be treated as anybody else

Mate, stop daydreaming. You are forever a farang!

[KBsinter]

2 hours ago, gios50hk said:

Please READ my post - and if you still are not convinced that their are two 'pricing systems' (one for Thais and a completely different one for foreigners) I suggest you visit the radiology department at Queen Sirikit hospital!

tThose signs have been at Sirikit hospital for years,and may I add this is possibly the cheapest

hospital in Thailand,probably because it is Navy base training facility.

[dunroaming]

Hardly fleeced!  But the obvious question is why would you be treated for PC in any hospital in Thailand if you can go back to your own country?  This is your health being placed in the hands of cowboys.

[Puccini]

2 hours ago, atyclb said:

 

great, so if you get drinks added to your bill that you didnt order or approve as long as you got drunk its ok, get on with life.

 

What item on the OP's invoice is for drinks?

 

 

[off road pat]

8 hours ago, impulse said:

Only the Europeans.  Free health care apparently spoils you.

 

If he were American, he'd be marveling at how cheap his treatment was in Hua Hin.  We're accustomed to seeing line after line of obscure charges that only a forensic accountant can decipher.

Yes, probably,...but he is not a American. he comes from a much more advanced country were free or inexpensive health care is a right he's father and grandfather fought for....

Regards.

[Puccini]

The administration fee of 858 units at 1 Baht per unit does indeed look a bit odd. Also 1 unit at 858 Baht per unit would be rather unusual.

 

Also somewhat strange is the fact that the OP seems to have waited one year until he started questioning this administration fee, seeing that he received -- and presumably paid -- the invoice on 27 May 2015.

 

Quote

He appealed to Thai reporters to help with his case as it has got tied up in red tape for four months now with no action.

 

With the "Public Finance Ministry" reportedly having commented on this case it appears that the invoice was issued by a government hospital. Therefore, it can be expected that the OP will now get a full and satisfactory explanation about about all items on his bill in due time.

 

Quote

[Thai reporters] made representations on his behalf but the Public Finance Ministry seemed to confirm that the charges on his bills were irregular.

 

[KBsinter]

In farang areas Goverment hospitals charge Farangs extra,.the distraction comes from

people cannot tell the difference between PRIVATE and Goverment,of course in a private

hospital every body pays the same,they are not charities,but you can still pull a deal !!

and by the way,there will be a notice somewhere in the hospital regarding foreign

persons have to pay a percentage more,, I believe mine is 20% can"t remember 

nowadays,

[Puccini]

3 minutes ago, off road pat said:

...he comes from a much more advanced country were free or inexpensive health care is a right...

 

Does he?

1. Free, it is not: "everyone has to take out their own basic healthcare insurance (basisverzekering), except those under 18 who are automatically covered under their parents' premium" (https://goo.gl/kA3kYG)
2. Inexpensive is a subjective term.

[gamini]

I frankly can't understand this guy's post. I have been going to the Hua Hin hospital regularly for several years and I find that not only is it a very good hospital, but they have good doctors and very good facilities. They do charge BT300  consultation  for foreigners. That's not much. Their other charges are standard and there is no difference between the charge for foreigners and Thais (paying). They all speak excellent English.

[spidermike007]

4 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

 [What is his Problem?] 

 

I'm guessing people like you who readily accept the 'overcharge' or 'double charge' which in effect permits it. 

 

This is a private hospital - Thai's and Foreigners should be paying the same regardless of how normal charging the foreigner more is, its wrong. 

 

As the Complainant was receiving treatment for Prostate Cancer I'm guessing his charges were significantly more than reported, however, the press seems to favour picking up on this strange 858 baht over charge. 

 

Not correct. Hua Hin Hospital is a public hospital, funded by the government. Therefore they have no responsibility whatsoever, for offering foreigners the same pricing as locals. None. They charge local presumably based on some sort of reimbursement system from the government. There is no such mechanism in place for foreigners. And why should there be? This guy is a sourpuss, who is complaining about very reasonable charges. He really needs to get a life. For him to be wasting everybody's time with this, and making people look foolish over nothing, is petty at best, and obnoxious at worst.