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

[Johnniey]

13 hours ago, Strange said:

 

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

 

I really can't believe some of the replies here. Young, adventurous people like to have fun. Didn't you go travelling the world when you were young? Many do on a shoestring, after leaving uni, for example. I certainly did and even without insurance but I was involved in making the Haad Rid moon party popular. Back in the mid-late 80's there was only a couple of bar/restaurants and beach bungalows. 40 Bhat a night if I remember right and a meal for 10 baht. Less than 50 people at some of them, then people started coming from Samui to make it more like 100!

 Yes, I got stuck a couple of times and had to go to the embassy and borrow money. Sh1t happens.

Frankly, Thailand was full of much more interesting people when I moved here in 1985. Now with the internet, we have people meeting their wives online and retiring here after 40 years working in a factory or a tax office. Just remember that if it weren't for the hippies in the 60's who came here searching for beautiful beaches and smoking dope and partying, (even some were as outrageous as having kids), you, and most like you would be sitting in a bedsit in Bournemouth or a trailer park in Texas,  or unit in Urunga, waiting for your pension cheque to come in.

I hope when I reach 60, I'll have learned not to judge people. 

 

[ghworker2010]

13 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..... 

 

One time I had to leave my PP as a bond when hiring a moped bike. I didnt like doing it but it was all ok in the end. Sometimes you do have to give your PPort

[johnnybegood2]

Just hoping its also the "Last Western"

[little mary sunshine]

14 minutes ago, ParadiseLost said:

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.

 

 

 

 

 

What  world do you live in??   It's called the "business" of

medicine....all over the the world!

[chuang]

That's the problems many foreigners expected to get free medical....i just wonder which private hospital in the world provides it...

[Straight8]

1 hour 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?

 

Quite obvious PL hasn't.

[ParadiseLost]

2 minutes ago, little mary sunshine said:

What  world do you live in??   It's called the "business" of

medicine....all over the the world!

The world where English comprehension dictates that comments should be taken in context... The original post stated most people were upset with charging, I merely pointed out most people would be happy if charges were fair - including profit.

 

Just because things are so does not mean you have to like it... Perhaps in your world you are happy to be gouged but I doubt that would include 'most people'...

[johnnybegood2]

13 minutes ago, chuang said:

That's the problems many foreigners expected to get free medical....i just wonder which private hospital in the world provides it...

Perhaps in your social circles many foreigners expect that, that is however your issue. 

 

None of the foreigners I've met in 20 years of coming to Thailand were expecting that.

Some did come however because it is considerably cheaper here, than in the west.

Over hundreds of hospitals in Thailand, yet one, on a small isolated island that constantly raises a red flag.

That hospital has hardly been opened for 2 years.

Yet, the amount of noise and problems it causes are incomparable to any other.

You, among a few more,  prefer to just shoot the messenger instead.

 

Have your Chang, and go to the bar. The internet wasn't invented for you.

 

 

[NoshowJones]

3 hours ago, louse1953 said:

I rekon the low lifes are the cheap charlie tourists that have left the hospital and Thai taxpayers poorer.Will she send the money when they get back to UK?

What about the Thai people in the UK who have had hospital treatment all paid for by the British tax payer?

[happysanook]

3 hours ago, Strange said:

 

Surely you guys can see the difference between "running up a bill you can't afford" as an intentional act of thievery & deception, whereas the story in the OP is not the case at all. 

 

Surely this isn't lost on you? 

I think much is lost on the whiskey soured holier-than-though turds.

[smedly]

1 hour ago, flyingdoc said:

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!

do you have insurance.......yes

 

her path was set from there

 

these greedy huge insurance institutions turn healthcare into a massive scam, exactly why the US health system is a mess 

[hawker9000]

12 hours ago, A1Str8 said:

How come they changed their mind at the hospital and gave back the passport? Haha. Low life entities always amuse me. 

How come?  Because the hospital was just trying on classic bullying tactics.  While I have NO sympathy whatsoever for the hospital trying to handle the matter this way, and DO believe many hospitals inflate their billing unforgivably, foreigners skipping on their medical bills IS a problem.  There should be a simple national policy in place that simply turns non-payers over to Immigration on release from the hospital, who then permanently blacklist and deport them, complete with a frog walk to the boarding gate.  That'll leave the hospital on the hook for that instance, but will accomplish two things.  One, it'll give the hospital some incentive; a choice between a negotiated reasonable fee vs nothing at all.  Second, over time this abuse by foreigners will subside and become less common than it is now.   The simple-minded idea that there should be some medical insurance requirement for all tourists to enter the country - sure to be mentioned here in very short order -  is just ridiculous and nothing but a green light for a whole new scam industry. 

[Thaidream]

I am over 60 and I certainly know how to have a good time and we have all been irresponsible so I don't begrudge the girl her fun and I don't know her situation so I won't critize her. Hospitals do have bills to pay and people to pay but there are way too many in the World and especially in Thailand that put profit above everything else and that is a fact.  As one poster indicated this type of treatment was way over priced and made a huge profit.  I will say it again- medical care is a human right and it should never be profited upon.

 I am glad she got the medical care and if it were me I would pay the hospital a fair price which is much lower than what they charged.

This problem exists everywhere in the World especially in America where there are many hospitals that continually overcharge the public at large. Their only goal is profit- not to serve the community.  In addition to hospitals that really don't care about people; there is also Big Pharma which continues to rip off the public by charging prices for life saving medications that most people cannot afford to pay. In addition, there is the insurance industry which charges high prices to its customers but then gets the Hospitals and drug companies to give them huge discounts (which the general public cannot get) This whole cabal is filled with corruption and profiteering and the general public everywhere suffers.

There is only one way around all this and that is for the governments of the World to take over healthcare and the making of drugs and take the profit out of it all.  The UK; Canada and Japan have already done this but the US refuses because they are afraid of so called Socialism.  The current profit making system is unsustainable and one day if will collapse because everyone will refuse to continue to pay unfair prices simply because they don't have the money.

[realenglish1]

As some posters have said It is Illegal for someone or an entity  to retain your passport For the record Don't give anyone your passport PERIOD 

[ParadiseLost]

4 minutes ago, realenglish1 said:

As some posters have said It is Illegal for someone or an entity  to retain your passport For the record Don't give anyone your passport PERIOD 

The word PERIOD is highly contentious and vastly misunderstood on this thread...

[ThaiWai]

13 hours ago, surangw said:

the embassy  won't back up the  citizen in favor of the hospital ?

 

Why does everyone think embassies are sources of free travel, medical and legal expenses?  

[Thaidream]

Thailand could easily solve the problem of medical for foreigners who are tourists by tacking on to each ticket a 20Baht charge to go into the medical fund in case a tourist needs medical treatment. the fund then pays for it. In addition, expats or tourists who request extensions at Immigration could have 50 or 100 Baht tacked on to go into a medical fund that would ensure treatment and payment. Travel and regular insurance is nothing more than a scam which drives up prices for everyone. 

[tomacht8]

Money, money, greed, greed.
Why they did not charge her 200.000 baht?
The treatment costs in private hospitals seem to be not regulated at all.
The accident tourists with travel health insurance are the license to print money here.

 

[Chicog]

6 minutes ago, Thaidream said:

Thailand could easily solve the problem of medical for foreigners who are tourists by tacking on to each ticket a 20Baht charge to go into the medical fund in case a tourist needs medical treatment. the fund then pays for it. In addition, expats or tourists who request extensions at Immigration could have 50 or 100 Baht tacked on to go into a medical fund that would ensure treatment and payment. Travel and regular insurance is nothing more than a scam which drives up prices for everyone. 

 

One of the problems is that aging expats tend to need a lot more medical care. In the UK, for example, they will have paid for it by paying their stamp for all of their working lives.

It's a bit much to ask Thailand to start subsiding their high risk health care when they've put nothing in.

 

You should have your own health insurance in Thailand, or the funds to pay for your care, or you shouldn't be there.

 

 

[jwest10]

13 hours ago, A1Str8 said:

How come they changed their mind at the hospital and gave back the passport? Haha. Low life entities always amuse me. 

Yes not only here when you talking about low life, but all those in the UK who get benefits for absolutely zero contributions, but others like  the British born  Citizens get nothing Also there is enough low life here, but many others who have wonderful Thai families, but also doing their best for them on frozen pensions.
As for this lady, what is she doing at the full moon party, not drinking surely!!!???
 

[ParadiseLost]

1 minute ago, Thaidream said:

Thailand could easily solve the problem of medical for foreigners who are tourists by tacking on to each ticket a 20Baht charge to go into the medical fund in case a tourist needs medical treatment. the fund then pays for it. In addition, expats or tourists who request extensions at Immigration could have 50 or 100 Baht tacked on to go into a medical fund that would ensure treatment and payment. Travel and regular insurance is nothing more than a scam which drives up prices for everyone. 

While I do agree with your solution, my guess is the money taken as a surcharge will never reach the intended target - just look at government hospitals here to see what corruption and lack of funding does.

 

The problem is the private hospitals can provide fancy new ambulances and pay out kickbacks to make sure they are first on scene. An ill or sick person and their companions are likely traumatized and cannot barter first; they are then captive from the second the angel of mercy arrives...

 

I was involved in a motorbike accident a while ago; the local rescue (volunteers) were luckily passing by - they asked if I would prefer to wait for the 'farang ambulance' or be loaded on the back of a pickup and taken to the govt hospital. I chose them and was very happy with the treatment. I am just as well as I would have been but probably 100k baht better off...

[sweatalot]

14 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..... 

 

I am involved with many foreigners being discharged from a hospital (Not only Thailand, also Philippines, Indonesia, probably more) They often don't allow the patients to leave until they pay. Sometimes even if the hospital ha a valid guarantee of payment by the health insurance). In this case the Tourist police

 

13 hours ago, thetruth revealer said:

By International Law Standards, technically the owner of any Passport is the corresponding Government. The Holder is just only the Person who is allowed to carry and use it for well known purposes..So far, its illegal and everybody who gives a Passport as Deposit for Rental Motorbikes etc,. is breaking Law. (The good thing is, anybody could report it lost or stolen and then get issued a new Passport, so happen in the past ...)

 

and those who withhold the passport can sell it on the black market...

[sweatalot]

1 hour ago, humqdpf said:

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.

 

 

 

PV means per vaginam and is nothing more than the normal gynecologic examination, having a look into the vagina / portio with a lamp and palpating with the finger. The woman lying typically on a chair with spread legs and labiae. Usually done in less than a minute. Should be not more than 100 Baht

[Straight8]

21 minutes ago, ThaiWai said:

 

Why does everyone think embassies are sources of free travel, medical and legal expenses?  

 

I think you will find that its quite not everyone who thinks that, but only a select few.

[Thaidream]

While I understand that an aging population has higher risks- Thailand has a Social Security Health system that can and should be provided to all expats. This does not mean that they will  be provided care in a private hospital but a government facility.  Tacking on an extra charge at extension of stay renewal or at an extension at Immigration for even a 30 day renewal will create a huge pool of money.  Aging expats cannot purchase regular insurance which is indeed a scam because it charges high prices to gain a huge profit and then pays the hospitals/providers at reduced rates the general public cannot get.

We need to get insurance out of the picture forever- healthcare is a human right and Governments everywhere need to provide it.

Another way would be for the passport holder's government to reimburse the Thai Government for one of its citizens in Thailand who needs medical care.  Citizens of most countries have already paid into the fund.  As an American, I have paid for almost 50 year into the Medicare fund but they refuse to let me use it in Thailand where it is much cheaper to get medical care. The same for the Uk and other Nations. Once countries take the profit out of medical care and deem it a human right- there are many reasonable, low cost solutions to this issue.

[smedly]

22 minutes ago, Thaidream said:

Thailand could easily solve the problem of medical for foreigners who are tourists by tacking on to each ticket a 20Baht charge to go into the medical fund in case a tourist needs medical treatment. the fund then pays for it. In addition, expats or tourists who request extensions at Immigration could have 50 or 100 Baht tacked on to go into a medical fund that would ensure treatment and payment. Travel and regular insurance is nothing more than a scam which drives up prices for everyone. 

well you see they already charge for visa's and a surcharge when you arrive in Thailand, TBH as I have already stated and many have over stated - how many out of the 30million odd people to are invited to Thailand to holiday end up needing any sort of healthcare -- I would ponder a very very low percentage, if Thailand wants to continue inviting tourists to their country they should be willing to take care of the very few that end up in hospital and also as I said above a high percentage of tourist needing hospital treatment  during their visit is often caused by the extremely poor safety standards - or should I say what standards- there aren't any 

[tezzainthailand]

Had a similar experience in Nong Khai, albeit nothing as financially crippling as this example.  Bitten by a little mutt, the bleeding wound appeared superficial enough but  to be on the safe side dashed to the Nong Khai hospital for a tetanus injection.  After an observation was told a shot and medicine would be 350 baht and to come back a week later for another shot, that seemed fair enough. Before the medicine was handed over I was presented with a bill, what I thought was 400 baht, but in fact was 4000 baht, outright extortion. Said my goodbyes, didn't pay the bill, didn't take the medicine and the pharmacy cashier couldn't care less that I had walked out, so watch them at Nong Khai hospital.

[ujayujay]

They step back because they know exactly that their action is illegal.

[elgordo38]

14 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

With friends she explained that she had very little money after being in Thailand for a month but she did have travel insurance.

 

How can you pay for the travel to Thailand and spend a month here and then claim you have very little money. Just get on the mobile to your friendly banker and tell him you need a top up loan. If she checks clause number 1002 on her travel insurance policy she may find that a miscarriage here is an exclusion. Flash in the pan tourists ugh. 

[elgordo38]

4 hours ago, LukKrueng said:

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

Its obvious her thinking did not extend that far party hardy was front and centre in her thinking apparatus. Therein lies the problem Thailand you sometimes get stuck with the odd bad one. Show her the door.