Bangkok Hospital Phuket confirms emergency care policy under new law

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Bangkok Hospital Phuket confirms emergency care policy under new law

The Phuket News

 

Bangkok Hospital Phuket hopes that emergency medical assistance in Phuket will be faster under the new law. Photo: Bangkok Hospital Phuket

 

PHUKET: -- Bangkok Hospital Phuket has confirmed to The Phuket News its stance on emergency care for patients under the new Universal Coverage for Emergency Patients (UCEP) law brought into effect on April 1.

 

The new law, administered by the National Institute for Emergency Medicine (NIEM), enables all patients who require emergency medical care and assistance to be able to access it wherever they are in the country at whichever hospital – private or state – is closest to them for a period of up to 72 hours.

 

Medical care is performed “at no cost” up to regular medical capacity and resources available at hospital. The new law sets out a schedule of “standard” fees to be charged for a range of medical services, with the charges for these services to be charged to one of three national healthcare funds.

 

The law stipulates that the UCEP plan covers patients exhibiting signs under six main categories:

 

Unconsciousness, patient not breathing

Suffocation, severe breathing problems

Passing out, seizures and high fevers

Severe chest pain

Loss of limb use, stroke, common seizures

Other symptoms that risk heart attacks, inability to breathe, and brain damage

 

Full story: http://www.thephuketnews.com/bangkok-hospital-phuket-confirms-emergency-care-policy-under-new-law-61923.php

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2017-04-26

[jollyhangmon]

Well, fine.

Now just make it mandatory for the body-snatchers too to deliver one to the nearest ER instead of carting them all across town to whatever hospital pays best head-premiums ... 

[LivinginKata]

And stop taking (and selling) the graphic  phone camera photos.  This is a disgusting standard practice here in Thailand.

[ChakaKhan]

38 minutes ago, LivinginKata said:

And stop taking (and selling) the graphic  phone camera photos.  This is a disgusting standard practice here in Thailand.

Wouldnt this be everywhere--if it bleeds it leads...ala Nightcrawler film....

I think is human nature--im pretty sure i witnessed a fatal mbike death days ago

as all the thais gathered around i was tempted to go look but decided not to......

[ChakaKhan]

1 hour ago, jollyhangmon said:

Well, fine.

Now just make it mandatory for the body-snatchers too to deliver one to the nearest ER instead of carting them all across town to whatever hospital pays best head-premiums ... 

Yep..ive been here over 6 yrs and when yet another thai hit me and broke some toes i was

whisked off to a hospital i have NEVER seen or even know existed here as ive been to many!

 

The immediate "U give pass-a-port" came into play and i said NOPE..had a cute chinese gal

with me--they whisked her off for a knee scratch--wanted 2000 bt!!! i said dont pay......

 

Long story short--went to many other places--they all wanted cash up front or ins cards..nope

and nope...after 8 hrs i just hobbled out and taped my own toes together.....good grief.....

 

I guess the good part is the body snatchers never got that money..at least not from ME..

 

Fool me once.......thais have taught me too well.....555555

 

 

[Old Croc]

You showed them!

[richard_smith237]

48 minutes ago, ChakaKhan said:

Yep..ive been here over 6 yrs and when yet another thai hit me and broke some toes i was

whisked off to a hospital i have NEVER seen or even know existed here as ive been to many!

 

The immediate "U give pass-a-port" came into play and i said NOPE..had a cute chinese gal

with me--they whisked her off for a knee scratch--wanted 2000 bt!!! i said dont pay......

 

Long story short--went to many other places--they all wanted cash up front or ins cards..nope

and nope...after 8 hrs i just hobbled out and taped my own toes together.....good grief.....

 

I guess the good part is the body snatchers never got that money..at least not from ME..

 

Fool me once.......thais have taught me too well.....555555

 

 

 

I'm not sure what to say to this post...   no medical insurance, rides a motorcycle without insurance, refused to pay when medical care is given following an accident... 

 

... It seems to me that for some the sense of entitlement in a foreign country overwhelms their common sense....

 

... I have to be honest here... IF 'non emergency' cases arrived at a hospital I was managing, I would insist on a passport or credit card. It seems only reasonable given the above response. 

 

That said: I like the idea of a law being passed that serious emergencies are to be taken to the nearest facility and offered free medical care for the first 72 hrs whereby costs are standardized and charged to (one of 3) a national fund... which seems fair. 

 

Now, I also think it would be perfectly reasonable for those who cannot show Insurance coverage to have to pay into this insurance fund upon arrival into Thailand. 

 

Edited April 26, 2017 by richard_smith237

[aslimversgwm]

As a point of interest Thailand is a signatory to a UN treaty - I think it's part of the UN Convention on Human Rights-  which obliges a country to provide basic emergency medical assistance in  any life threatening situation so this local pronouncement appears to be simply complying with an international treaty obligation.

[natway09]

There are a couple of problems with this not bad idea

1) There is a huge difference to properly treating a patient or stabilizing said patient

     "Just pacify him & stick him in that room. If he lives we can drop him off to the hospital around the corner in

        70 hours from now"

2) there are so many people come here for a holiday & do stupid things like driving a motorbike  (often without a licence)

      get drunk & hurt themselves, bungy jumping,,, etc , etc  with no travel insurance & then get upset when presented with a hospital bill, 

Why should Thailand be responsible for sickness or accidents of non Thais ????

If you cannot afford to buy travel insurance ,,,,, stay home

If you are  not insurable  (you will know why) put a contingency plan in place BEFORE you travel.....

Don't complain about good hospital care costing money. Some of our home countries have just spoilt us rotten

[swissie]

Who qualifies?

- Thai Nationals covered within the "Social Security scheme/ Government Social Security" scheme and the 30 Bht health scheme.

Farangs qualify only if they are part of the Thai Social Security scheme. In other words: Does not cover 99% of Farangs.
Cheers.

[Sheryl]

Correct. See full aticle:

 

"As for entitlement, people who access the UCEP rights must be a member of one of the three government national healthcare plans: the National Health Security Fund, Social Security Fund or the fund for medical welfare to state officials."

 

[keeniau96]

So how can I as a typical O-visa long-stay on annual extensions and not working get on the healthcare?

If cannot then if delivered to a gov't hospital eg. Vachira in Phuket what are the charges?

 

[Sheryl]

You (and all other foreigners except those legally working here and covered under Social Security) cannot get on it. You need your own private health insurance.

 

Charges at government hospitals, while much lower than at private hospitals, can still reach millions of baht in case of a catastrophic illness or injury (requiring multiple surgeries, prolonged ICU care).

 

Many recent news articles, crowd funding appeals etc about foreigners unable to pay their hospital bills

 

 

[dageurreotype]

What rubbish this is. Hospitals here can and do charge whatever they think they can get away with. Who's to stop them? And if anyone seriously believes the mill that is Bangkok Hospital will adhere to this 'agreement', they are seriously deluded. The hospital system here, particularly on Phuket, is a national disgrace and points up exactly the yawning chasm between the haves and have nots. No middle ground here. And please, no mentioning of 'oh but Mission ..' blah blah.