BAYBOY

SINBIN re post #65.
  As i have said before I can only relate my experiences at Govt. hospitals as they have happened to my wife and I.Any experiences you may have encountered that are not the same as ours are yours.....not mine.

Early November my wife was not well, I rang the doctor dealing with her in Bangkok who told me Siriraj was closed due to flooding. The hospital was OK, but staffing was the problem.

He told us to go to Ratchaburi Hospital, register there on the 30 baht system, then go to the outpatients Dept. This we did, in fact I did it, as my wife was on a stretcher. No mention of a referral from another hospital or doctor, nor one asked for. Not questioned why  she was from Singburi and was a patient at Siriraj in Bangkok, just handed the forms across and job done. Then went into the out patients dept, saw the senior nurse who told us that the hemotogist doctor, would see us as that who  the Bangkok doctor told us to see. We traveled across 4 provinces to get to Ratchaburi and referrals never asked for. Eight days later we were back there again, and again never asked for referral.... showed the paper work again and admitted.

SO what ever you think, understand or know about the system, I have experienced different outcomes to your knowledge and I am more  than happy with how we have been treated at all of the Govt hospitals under the free system. By now, you should know, what you read, what you are told, and what you think  and the eventual outcome may be 4 totally different things here in Thailand.

Why... for  a man who professes to spend 700-800,000 baht a year in Thailand,... want to use the free system???

BAYBOY

SIN BIN

Over the last 18 months I have been a constant visitor accompanying my wife to Thonburi Hospital, Siriraj hospital, Ratchaburi Hospital and Singburi Hospital for her treatments. I have been a patient at Chula for 12 months and now go there every 3 months as an out patient. I can only tell you about what I see, what I hear, what I have been asked to do. All my comments are based on personal experience and  how it has effected us over the time.

I should must point out that in all these visits, which would be in excess over 30 times,  I have only seen 2 foreigners actually being at the hospital for attention. I have sat in out patient depts. for endless hours and I am the only foreigner about. Farangs as such do not use the Govt. system as I see it. The Medical director at Thonburi hospital ( a Private hospital) told me that only about one foreigner is admitted into that hospital in a month. I imagine most foreigners here frequent the several major Private hospitals, as they sure don't use the Govt ones

She has been using the 2 schemes available to the Thai people who don't have medical insurance, social security systems, or Govt employee systems to pay for their health care.
She started off paying the hospitals at the going rate for various treatments and the cost was great in relation to our income and savings.The doctors suggested she go into the '30 BAHT" scheme as she may have a long protracted time in treatments and the cost of that would be out of our range. Currently she is staying at Siriraj and has been there for two and a half weeks having spinal radiation, and has another 2 weeks to go. This will be free unless she incurs extra costs to the actual treatment she is in for. Imagine the cost if she was at one of the top Private  Hospitals.

It is not a problem to register at any Govt Hospital. I walked into the Heart Care Center at Siriraj and was given a hospital card in minutes.Under the 30 Baht scheme if you go to another hospital outside your area you have to register first before any thing is started as regards treatment. Usual waiting time and paper war to get registered.



BAYBOY.

SINBIN.

in reply to some points you have raised.

The original "30 baht " system was started by the Thaksin Government,  back in the early 2000's. In fact it was one of his first Populist points to come into force. After the coup in 2006 the new appointed Government stopped the 30 baht charge, and as of today there is no charge. However the present Govt. have already said that it will reintroduce the charge to help recoup some of the costs of the scheme. In the Govt. hospitals the now free system is still reffered to by Doctors and staff as the '30 baht system'. Several times when I have had to do the paper work for my wife I have been told by staff to get out the documents for the 30 baht scheme.

Remember you have to apply for acceptance into the 30 baht (or free) scheme. Just because you are registered at your Govt. hospital doesn't mean you  can turn up, show your card see the doctor, and get free medical care. No doubt the rules for who will be accepted into the scheme will vary from hospital to hospital, but it is mean't for Thai people who have a low income or maybe they cannot met the cost of really expensive care.
The health system in Thailand would collapse in hours if all Thais were on a free medical system.Some are free with conditions, the rest pay the going rate which is much cheaper ( and  they know this)  than the Private Health Companies.

Go to any Govt. hospital and you will see Pay in windows in most departments, which are busy and usually queues,  and some of the payees are paying huge sums of money.If all health care for the Thais was free why have pay in windows.? All Thais by the way.

In many visits to Siriraj in Bangkok I have yet to see a foreign patient or a foreigner paying a medical bill.

As an aside I go to Chula hospital every 3 months for cardiac follow up. Each day the heart clinic there sees over 450 patients, there are 3 pay in windows and I have only seen 2 foreigners in the clinic. Everybody who I see there, I presume, are like me and pay the going rate which Chula charges,  which is so far below the Private hospitals that standing in a queue or waiting and hour to see the doctor  is not a worry. I do not see many holding the papers that those in the "30 baht" system have to show when paying or collecting their medicine.

With regards to my wife being charged extra when using the "30 baht card". yes it does happen. During her stay in the hospital her chemo and now radiation treatments are free, but if a side problem like an upset tummy, develops they may charge for that medication as that is not what she is in for. I have 4 receipts here now, one 62 baht another 45 baht and a third
105 baht and a fourth15 baht, That's  the total cost incurred for 1 chemo and 3 radiation treatments. If she was in the hospital, as a normal Thai paying patient, the chemo alone would have been in excess of 70,000 baht. She has used both systems and actually likes the " 30 baht " wards and care she gets, much better than the paying wards.
Spoke with a Swiss husband of a Thai.. he had spent over 2,000,000 baht on her cancer treatment at one of Bangkok's top private hospital, and they had chosen to go to Siriraj for her final days, true real care, and help for the 2 of them and it cost them nothing for her care which was far superior than she had got from a private Hospital.

Your comment that the private hospitals are the biggest threat to the Govt. hospitals is rather strange. They are so over priced, as reading on this forum will show and explain, and they will continue to build bigger, fancier,  elaborate places that only the very rich or who have top quality health insurance will attend them. So that is a huge portion of the Thai people who will have no choice but to use their own Govt. hospitals. So the health system for Thais will improve, even if slowly, as long as the Government of the day continues to increase the health budget.......and that is another story.

BAYBOY

SINBIN.

Sorry it does exist. My wife has been using it for the last few months. Before then when she had a 10 day course of Chemo treatment the cost at Siriraj was usually around 70,000 baht.
When she went on the 30 baht system the cost for 10 days once was as low as 75 baht.

During the flooding she had to go to Ratchaburi hospital as Siriraj was closed. No chemo this visit, only care as she was very unwell, stayed there 10 days and in a private room. The room cost 700 baht per night and our total hospital bill for the 10 days came to 7000 baht every thing else...  care, medicine, food, etc  FREE.

BAYBOY

SINBIN.  

The 13 digit number is the one showing on your Thai I.D. card which only Thai citizens have. When you apply for any thing to do with the 30 baht card you must show your hospital card and your Thai I.D. card, and supply photo copies of them both signed.

My 11 year old son has a Thai passport issued 5 years ago and a Thai I.D. card issued 4 months ago and both show the same 13 digit number.The big brother system must use only 13 digit numbers and coordinate them so all Govt records  follow the same person through life.

As previous Poster stated if somehow you have got into the system then good luck. Some years ago I used the local Govt Hospital for dental treatment, charged 180 baht for a root canal!                                          
Next visit some months later was told a mistake, from now I would have to pay the going commercial rate. Mistakes do happen.
But as I say would any Government give free medical treatment to a visitor here for only a year, has the resources,and for many don't pay into the taxation system here.

  In New Zealand all including visitors get accident compensation to cover any medical needs caused by accident, but not free medical caused by health problems.

BAYBOY