Koh Phangan hospital backtracks after pregnant English tourist is unable to pay medical bill

[little mary sunshine]

R U kidding me!!  Money to fly to Thailand on holiday, money

to party, hotel, food....when it comes to negotiating a hospital

bill and paying and being responsible no money ...typical UK

low class trash, want everything for free.  Bill finally was B20,000

she will no doubt stick her friends with that bill too.

 

[Docno]

30 minutes ago, FolkGuitar said:

Which was the part that cost 100,000 baht? The Ultra-sound or the ferry to Samui? Perhaps it was the paracetamol?

Sure ... but I do find it 'interesting' that the photo in the article--if it's the genuine one from the woman--has been carefully taken/cropped so that the price breakdown is not shown. That would be important information to show to allows readers (us) to make an objective assessment of what happened...

[The Deerhunter]

14 hours ago, Badbanker said:

It is very illegal for any person or agency, other than law enforcement to retain your passport and then only on the imposition of a criminal case against you.

 

Not paying a car rental, hotel or hospital bills is a civil matter and the damaged party must retain a lawyer to file a civil suit against the person that they have a bill with.

 

Yes, I know as in this case, hospitals and hotels try to retain your passport as surety, but an embassy can and does very regularly cancel an existing passport being held hostage, and issue you with a new one in a day.

 

The embassy will then call to the entity that is wrongfully in possession of the passport and ask for it to be returned to the embassy asap as it is the property of the issuing government.

 

Of course the person wrongfully retaining the passport who was short changed, is shocked but this is the law in Thailand!

 

Been there done that!!!!!

but an embassy can and does very regularly cancel an existing passport being held hostage, and issue you with a new one in a day.

 

The embassy will then call to the entity that is wrongfully in possession of the passport and ask for it to be returned to the embassy asap as it is the property of the issuing government.

 

All can!  Some do.  Many can't be bothered, or are too gutless or lazy.

[Wake Up]

9 hours ago, BKKBrit said:

And no one looks at the fact that she's pregnant..hasn't bothered to read her insurance policy (which one think would be critically important when travelling pregnant)...heads off to a full moon party (<deleted>???).   The hospital, as far as I am concerned, is in the right to claim the fees for the care and service provided. I pity this woman's child if even before birth mum can be so irresponsible. 

Going to a full moon party pregnant is not smart if she drank alcohol. If no alcohol then no problem. Moms can have fun. It is allowed. 

 

Not reading an insurance policy is normal for 99 percent of humans. Even if she attempted to read it she would not understand it. If an insurance company can find a way to deny payment they always deny. Give the girl a break --she bought insurance. 

[coastguard]

Not making excuses, but, I had to go to the hospital when I was living in England (a semester at college). I expected to pay my bill and I tried, and was told the national health care would take care of it. Maybe the lady was expecting that to be the case in Thailand. 

[ThailandLOS]

Koh Pangan, full moon party and 3 months pregnancy is not a very good combo, to say the least.

 

And who the heck thinks that a standard medical insurance will cover pregnancy issues?

 

Totally irresponsible woman, as so many in the west nowadays not prepared to compromise their "freedom" for anything.

[joebrown]

There's not a lot that can be deduced from the small clip of the hospital bill other that Ultrasound and 1 night there. Maybe there isn't much else, and the hospital decided to 'write-off' their profit, having been handed the 20,000bht, just to show what a caring, humane organisation they are.

[smedly]

7 hours ago, ParadiseLost said:

Most likely the hospital saw an insurance document, thought they hit the pot of gold, so gouged the hell out of her expecting an easy payday. Standard practice in the medical industry, no?

 

Once they realised the victim/patient had no cash and started making a noise they obviously decided better to make it go away. No point getting bad publicity.

 

One of the good things about social media.

exactly

 

out of the millions of people that come here on holiday how many are unfortunate to fall ill - very few

 

Thailand should be taking care of their visitors if they require basic emergency treatment free of charge - every hospital should be forced to give a certain basic level of service free and stop this ridiculous rip off nonsense

 

and very often if someone has a serious accident it is often because of the poor safety standards in the country as a whole - boating and road incidents accounting for the majority, charge everyone a surcharge when entering the country should cover all eventualities for everyone that chooses to come here for a holiday ----- oh wait

[micmichd]

11 hours ago, z42 said:

Absolute thievery by some of the hospital brass foiled seemingly... Or am i missing something (itemised bill maybe)? And also a glaring example how travel insurance in a lot of instances is pretty worthless when it is actually needed. 

Glad to hear the girl will be getting home without any extra undue stress

Obviously the hospital gave back the passport. 

Travel and private insurances are quite worthless when it comes to pre-existing conditions, and pregnancy seems to be a pre-existing condition in this case. Nothing to blame it on the girl. UK (embassy, maybe NHS) should pay the bill as they would have done at home. 

[Docno]

I'm of two minds on this one:

 

1. The girl would have known she was pregnant by the end of the first trimester. There's a possible judgment issue in going to a full moon party in that condition (though we can only guess at her behaviour there). A more critical judgement issue is burning through all your cash while on holiday--you never know what can happen. She was transferred to private hospital then transferred by boat to another hospital. I'm not clear how long she was under observation, but her symptoms seem serious for a pregnant woman (bleeding and fainting), so I can imagine she received pretty intensive attention in addition to an ultrasound.
   
   BUT
    
2. It's quite possible that the hospital 'enhanced' her bill beyond what may have been significant costs for the above...

 

I'm not sure she could get off scott free on this one... needs to be a little bit of learning here

[ThailandLOS]

1 minute ago, ParadiseLost said:

Some here need lessons in human reproduction; it is entirely possible the girl was not aware of the pregnancy. At 12 weeks there may be no signs at all.

 

BS. Ever heard of something called period?

[puffy]

10 hours ago, BKKBrit said:

And no one looks at the fact that she's pregnant..hasn't bothered to read her insurance policy (which one think would be critically important when travelling pregnant)...heads off to a full moon party (<deleted>???).   The hospital, as far as I am concerned, is in the right to claim the fees for the care and service provided. I pity this woman's child if even before birth mum can be so irresponsible. 

The hospital has not acted correctly they have gouged the bill. I have had 2 children born in Thai private hospitals and the first had complications and the bill was half that and with more care by the looks of it. The reason they back tracked is because  not only were they fully aware their heavy handed tactics were illegal in taking her passport, but they new the bill was far to high, and once they have acted in this manner they lose and moral high ground.

[ParadiseLost]

1 minute ago, ThailandLOS said:

 

BS. Ever heard of something called period?

Has every woman you have known had perfectly regular periods? It is common for some to skip a month, especially if physically active, or some meds.

 

Did you bother to read the link? Can you read? Have you lived with many women?

[flyingdoc]

One alternative not mentioned here, is that she could have been transferred to the Government Hospital in Nathon on arrival in Samui, then at least her bill would have been reasonable!  Samui Rescue would have helped if asked, I am sure!

[ironbark]

11 hours ago, Badbanker said:

It is very illegal for any person or agency, other than law enforcement to retain your passport and then only on the imposition of a criminal case against you.

 

Not paying a car rental, hotel or hospital bills is a civil matter and the damaged party must retain a lawyer to file a civil suit against the person that they have a bill with.

 

Yes, I know as in this case, hospitals and hotels try to retain your passport as surety, but an embassy can and does very regularly cancel an existing passport being held hostage, and issue you with a new one in a day.

 

The embassy will then call to the entity that is wrongfully in possession of the passport and ask for it to be returned to the embassy asap as it is the property of the issuing government.

 

Of course the person wrongfully retaining the passport who was short changed, is shocked but this is the law in Thailand!

 

Been there done that!!!!!

Absolutely correct .  It is a common misconception that the holder "owns" the passport. The issuing govt always owns it. Which is why it can never be confiscated or left as security.

Others can observe it and record details but not keep it.

If a Hire shop or hotel wants to keep it then always refuse. if someone refuses to return it including police report it stolen. Never pay police a bribe to get your passport back.

[harrry]

As is consistent with the treatment of all pre-existing medical conditions under the policy, the policy does not intend to cover the normal costs or losses otherwise associated with pregnancy (including multiple pregnancy) or childbirth. This includes, but is not limited to, delivery by caesarean section or any other medically or surgically assisted delivery which does not cause medical complications. The policy does, however, cover you should complications arise with your pregnancy due to accidental bodily injury or unexpected illness which occurs while on your trip excluding costs incurred during the period between 12 weeks before and 12 weeks after the estimated date of delivery.

 

This is from a fairly standard UK policy.  It is hard to see why she woud not be covered.

[daveAustin]

5 hours ago, LukKrueng said:

so running up a bill you cannot afford is ok...

 

She had insurance <deleted>! Read the OP! Looking at some of the typically dopey, self-righteous responses on here makes me barf. On the face of it; pregnant, full moon party, yes stupid. But who's to know she didn't know she was pregnant? It was an emergency, she went to hospital like anybody would; it's not like she took delivery of a freakin three-piece suite and didn't want to pay. For the cheap seats, the private hospitals here can be absolute vampires... even simple paracetamol are MASSIVELY marked up. It's a disgrace and praying on a sick, in-distress young pregnant tourist is lower than low. I hope the place loses a ton of business and get's its name dragged through the mud.

[ParadiseLost]

One just has to compare the government hospital on KP to the private ones. I have used the government hospital and while it is third world in appearance the staff are friendly to the extreme and prices are ridiculously low. On the other hand the shiny new private hospitals are definitely first world and their pricing reflects this. Can't comment on the staff.

 

If her life was in danger she would cross to Samui on a speedboat - that is expensive, but most likely in her case she would be taken on a normal ferry accompanied by a nurse. All other passengers would pay 300 baht while she would be charged 10,000. Fair?

[Thaidream]

The problem with hospitals Worldwide is that they are only interested in making money.  Medical care is a human right- it is not a product to be bartered or negotiated.  If doctors and nurses have not figured this out they should not be practitioners. Governments need to provide national health insurance for ALL. Citizens of a country pay through deductions from their salaries. Tourists and expats should be able to buy in for a small fee based upon their length of stay. the problem is that since hospitals only exist to make money- they see an insurance policy and up the charges to what they think the insurance will pay.  The charges are usually unable to be deciphered by the average person.

While this person may have been somewhat irresponsible- I question the amount of the actual charges and their attempt to extort money from the patient.  Until profit is taken out of healthcare- these type of situations will continue.

[scorecard]

12 hours ago, Strange said:

 

Never, EVER, give up that passport. 

 

Single most important thing to a foreigner here in Thailand, second is bug-out cash and credit cards. They get you by the balls (or uterus).

 

Also its a real chickenshit maneuver/probably illegal to take someones only travel document and hold it hostage. Let alone its wasn't even an official person, just hospital people. Pretty pathetic on the hospital and infuriating just reading it. 

 

As for the rest of the topic, well, Full Moon Party, 3 months pregnant, no money..... 

 

 

What is a 'bug-out card'?

[Wazza1]

12 hours ago, Strange said:

 

Never, EVER, give up that passport. 

 

Single most important thing to a foreigner here in Thailand, second is bug-out cash and credit cards. They get you by the balls (or uterus).

 

Also its a real chickenshit maneuver/probably illegal to take someones only travel document and hold it hostage. Let alone its wasn't even an official person, just hospital people. Pretty pathetic on the hospital and infuriating just reading it. 

 

As for the rest of the topic, well, Full Moon Party, 3 months pregnant, no money..... 

 

 

Almost as low as not paying your bills and fleeing the country.

[Wazza1]

16 minutes ago, Thaidream said:

The problem with hospitals Worldwide is that they are only interested in making money.  Medical care is a human right- it is not a product to be bartered or negotiated.  If doctors and nurses have not figured this out they should not be practitioners. Governments need to provide national health insurance for ALL. Citizens of a country pay through deductions from their salaries. Tourists and expats should be able to buy in for a small fee based upon their length of stay. the problem is that since hospitals only exist to make money- they see an insurance policy and up the charges to what they think the insurance will pay.  The charges are usually unable to be deciphered by the average person.

While this person may have been somewhat irresponsible- I question the amount of the actual charges and their attempt to extort money from the patient.  Until profit is taken out of healthcare- these type of situations will continue.

 

So true, it's not as if Hospitals have expenses to pay, like wages and equipment right....oh wait.

i see hospitals world wide treat foreigners for free.....oh wait.

 

She is an idiot to begin with, what type of person goes travelling overseas knowing full well pregnancies and pre-existing conditions are not covered in travel insurance, she took the risk and should be made to pay the bill in full.

[elgenon]

1 hour ago, manhood said:

So what???

Thailand has so many touists that can't pay their bills and the country of Thailand (taxpayers) have to cover the costs!

You think this is fair????

In USA nobody treat you without prepay the treatment!

 

So lovly tourists: take care you have the proper insurance and dont blame anbody if things go wrong as i'ts your (the tourists) responsibility to have enjough money or insurance!

 

so you are saying a hospital in the States will let you die?

[johnnybegood2]

4 minutes ago, Wazza1 said:

 

So true, it's not as if Hospitals have expenses to pay, like wages and equipment right....oh wait.

i see hospitals world wide treat foreigners for free.....oh wait.

 

 

lets not forget commission arrangements with Backpackers & Hostels.

For every guest from your hostel thats injured / sick  - Send them to First Western and get 200baht!

[moe666]

I love you guys, the hospital treated the woman for a possible life treating problem and you guys are hung up on the hospital wanting to get paid for services rendered. Will this lowlife girl send money to the hospital for saving her life or will she slag them off as a few posters here have

 

To many people come to Thailand and use the health services here and then cannot pay the bill why do you think they keep the only thing of value these people have, the passport.

[moe666]

9 minutes ago, elgenon said:

 

so you are saying a hospital in the States will let you die?

By law the hospital has to treat a patient in the US. The repukian push to repeal obumercare will force a lot of people back to the emergency rooms for care the most expensive care for any problem.

 

Hopefully the Brit girl will pay the hospital for her care, money for beer but none for health care

[ParadiseLost]

2 minutes ago, moe666 said:

I love you guys, the hospital treated the woman for a possible life treating problem and you guys are hung up on the hospital wanting to get paid for services rendered. Will this lowlife girl send money to the hospital for saving her life or will she slag them off as a few posters here have

 

To many people come to Thailand and use the health services here and then cannot pay the bill why do you think they keep the only thing of value these people have, the passport.

I think most people would be happy for the hospital to charge fair prices for service, however this does not seem to be the case here. Profiteering from ill peoples bad fortune is hardly defendable.

 

[sandgroper2]

Thhe hospital requests your passport, if you dont hand it over, they will not treat you .Happened to my mate. (Im  talking about big ticket items. ).  Fact, not just  my personal opinion of which there is too much of on here.

[humqdpf]

13 hours ago, ParadiseLost said:

Most likely the hospital saw an insurance document, thought they hit the pot of gold, so gouged the hell out of her expecting an easy payday. Standard practice in the medical industry, no?

 

Once they realised the victim/patient had no cash and started making a noise they obviously decided better to make it go away. No point getting bad publicity.

 

One of the good things about social media.

From what I could see on the bill there was something called PV (could be referring to the bleeding from the Vagina) and ultrasound. There is also the transfer to the other hospital and an overnight.

 

There is nothing there that would indicate any costs above a few hundred dollars, not $3,000 (100,000 Baht) or so. Lets say $50 for the use of the ultrasound and another $50 for the interpretation, $50 for the consultant obstetrician, $100 for the transfer and another $100 for hospital stay. That makes $350, not $3,000.

 

 

[AlQaholic]

This should be pursued by the British Embassy, the Passport belongs to the state of Britain, if they do not take legal action against the Hospital it is a very bad precedent.